The expectations of my heart
Have pointed far away
Across the sea of mysteries
Unto a brighter day

I jumped aboard this parting ship
Planning to soon arrive
Fair wind drove far from shore
All land fell out of sight

Then the wind it dropped us there
Below the beating sun
Far out of sight of land
Atop the dark wide ocean

Becalmed upon the silent sea
No wind to make our way
Heavenly lights by day and night
Show only that we’ve stayed

The casks of drink, they don’t run dry
Sea biscuits in barrels plenty
Stranded here our clothes don’t wear
Upon this sea so empty

This poem is quite personal. Almost exactly a year ago we returned to the States from a school our family attended in Cambodia. A year ago I expected to soon have a clear purpose and a settled routine. Instead we find ourselves still in transition, far from solid land so to speak. Yet there is a real sense that God is taking care of us. We remain aware of his presence with us and his provision for us, even as we wait to feel the solid land beneath us.