Two weeks from today, I will drive to the airport in a rented car to pick up my friend, Mary Snyder, and set out for Route 66 on the Great Girlfriend Adventure. What started as a crazy conversation about our shared love for the Americana and romance of yesteryear’s road travel, ended up becoming a real roadtrip of gargantuan proportion! I still can’t believe we really get to do it!

Behind the scenes of road trip planning, my own life’s road has taken some pretty crazy turns. We decided to pursue a long-time dream, sold our house and bought an updated 80’s ranch house on 30 acres to start an equine therapy non-profit. While the move was certainly our choice, and the source of a lot of excitement, it still brought with it a lot of stress from uprooting and rerooting. We’ll be looking for a new church (again), meeting new neighbors (again), and learning a new little town (again). Because this is our third place to live in 3 years, since moving back to Texas, I’ve never really gotten my footing here. My heart is, and always will be Texan, as I was born and raised here, but the move back has been the hardest move I’ve ever experienced, which, in and of itself, has thrown me for a loop.

The result of this unsettledness has been a first for me. I’ve experienced what I can only determine to be mild depression, as I’ve never dealt with it before. While I’ve known that I needed connection more than ever, instead of finding it, I’ve withdrawn instead. I’ve become a bit of a loner, which is really unlike me, and in the midst of it all, I’ve found myself growing dry, spiritually.

I recently told a friend that I feel like I’ve been jogging in quicksand for months and months. I’ve been wandering in the proverbial desert and before I knew what was happening, I was drawn into the very sand itself. At first it felt warm and comforting somehow, holding me in its grasp, but before long I realized that it was trying its best to bury me, pulling against me, as I struggled to get out and move forward. Of course, that’s the intent of the sand; it pulls against your every effort until you finally just give in and give up.

I’ve been a Christian a long time. I’ve been tripped up by satan on more than one occasion, and I’ve studied and know well, his tricks and schemes. Truthfully, I’ve seen his handiwork in my sandy trap. I’ve known it was him pulling against me, and I’ve known how to combat his efforts.

But I haven’t.

I’ve chosen to stay ensnared and separate from my Savior. The Great Liar somehow made me think the effort required to get out was simply too great.

Until now.

The point of this Great Girlfriend Adventure is how God glorifies Himself through our friendships when they are built on the sure foundation of His Word. It’s about the importance of our connection with each other, how we are created for relationship and how the great joy of living out our faith adventure through our friendships is our way of glorifying Him. As I thought about the trip this morning, I realized that it is celebrating the very thing that I’ve allowed myself to be pulled away from: my on-the-ground connections with other women…my life-giving connection with God.

When you’re in a pit of quicksand, you don’t go anywhere. There is no road to travel; you just watch others pass you by. I’m sick of it, and I’m starting my climb from the sand today. I’d love to have you join me here over the next couple of weeks as I grab hold of the truths that will cause the desert’s grip to loosen, and allow me to climb back out onto the road of life God has planned for me. Maybe you’re stuck in some sand of your own. Here’s one to get us both started:

So let God work His will in you. Yell a loud no to the devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and He’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.  James 4:8 MSG

I’m ready, SO READY, to shake off the last of the sand and take to the open road. You, too? Then, join us! It may be a long and winding road, but there’s adventure to be had, and life – real, true, life – to live.