6/25/15

If you’ve never been to Dallas, it will come as a shock to your system to enter the interstate. While normally the saying “everything’s bigger in Texas” is stated as a positive expression of what the state has to offer, in this case, it will bring most out-of-staters into complete panic.

Texas interstates are chaotic. Roads merge and twist to the left and right. Even our GPS seemed confused at points. This made us both very grateful Nelson was driving. After spending years driving Atlanta to attend Georgia Tech, he feels much more comfortable driving through city traffic.

On our 2nd day, we traveled into Dallas to see the sights. We stopped by Elm Street to see where JFK was assassinated–an interesting sight to visit, not buzzing with with the usual mob of tourists, at least not on this particular day. Then, we traversed across the city in pursuit of the ideal Texan barbecue joint. With this purpose in mind, we saw the rest of the historic district and visited Pioneer Plaza for some picture taking moments. Afterwards, we returned for a quick barbecue lunch that didn’t quite meet my husband’s desire for great barbecue (to be explained in later posts).  Once lunch was finished, we found a free trolley to take us to Uptown and some shopping. Afterwards, we started heading back towards the car.

We knew it was a bit too hot and had bought sunscreen in Uptown. That was all fine and good; however, a morning’s walk in Texas is much different than an afternoon’s walk. We hadn’t realized how far we had wandered. On our way back, the sun beat down without mercy. The humidity caused our clothes to stick uncomfortably. We walked through the now busy bus station, keeping up our momentum to resist the temptation to stop.

The station was filled with tired city workers–some sharing bread, others taking naps, one getting sick from the heat.

I honestly didn’t know how much further we could go. Just then, we rounded a corner onto the street and could view the parking lot up ahead.

Climbing into the Altima, was like landing suddenly in a desert. The dashboard read 101 degrees. With humidity, the temperature had peaked. The parking tag placed on the dashboard had smoldered to black in the sun.

Our perception was skewed. We didn’t realize how hot it had gotten. We didn’t understand Texas navigation, and we certainly hadn’t expected such a long walk.

Likewise, our perception of who God is can sometimes end up skewed. When this happens, we may fail to realize that although He promises our best as Christians, this doesn’t mean that we don’t go through hard things too. God can use even difficult things in our lives for His purpose.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

We also may fail to understand that God is love, that He’s perfect, but He’s also just. This seems reasonable until we realize that these characteristics apply to us too. God is just, so for anything we’ve done wrong there has to be a consequence. That consequence needs to be consistent. When we fail God, we can’t have a relationship with Him. The only way we’re able to, is if God himself gives us a way to be in relationship.

That is you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9

Texas was an exciting place. It was fun to visit, but Nelson and I had some misconceptions at first. Visiting and finding out first-hand was the best way to clear up these misconceptions. When we have misconceptions about God, we need to clear these up using a primary source. God’s Word is that primary source. Perceiving God correctly is the most important misconception to clarify.