thoughts from a map.

this is my view from the little green chair i sit in (almost) every morning:

i've always wanted a big world map, so when we moved into this apartment and couldn't figure out what to do with that massive wall space above the couch, i knew it was time to find the perfect map. i love how HUGE it is. i love that i can't avoid it -- i have to look at it every day.

things i think about when i look at our big map:

1. people: i remember certain faces from every place i've traveled... and i imagine the faces of people living in countries where i'd love to travel. i want to know their stories. i want to know if they know jesus. i want to know what their language sounds like, what their food smells like, and what their culture feels like. i think about all the crazy stats we hear... 140-something million orphans... 20-something million trafficking victims... they just sound like numbers until you think of them as individual faces.

2. perspective: you can't even see oklahoma on that map unless your nose is practically touching it. needless to say, it makes me feel super small, and it makes me wonder how BIG God is if he claims that the earth is his FOOTSTOOL (isaiah 66.1). i mean, that is completely mind-blowing... and a much needed daily reminder.

3. adoption: (yes, i thought about coming up with a third p word, but come on, that would be way too baptist preacher-ish of me.) back to those 140-something million orphans... ever since i first traveled internationally and was face-to-face with some of those sweet children that make up that statistic, i've wanted to adopt. praise the lord, i married someone who shares that desire. so when i look at the map, i just wonder if there's a child out there who will one day be ours -- or if he or she is even born yet (probably not?). it would certainly be long way off -- and may not ever happen -- but it's definitely fun to dream about!

these are my thoughts: if you don't own a map, i think you should invest. the end.