One

The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. John 22:22-23

Yesterday, in an attempt to ward off the mid-winter slumps, we took a drive to find somewhere we had never been. Mark and I have spent our marriage being explorers -not the cross global kind of fierce adventurers, but gentle inquirers, going new and odd hidden places that others might overlook. We seek out the places not teeming with tourists and the quirky people that inhabit them. Our children would sometimes grumble as they were herded into the car when they were young, complaining about another one of our weird adventures. We often didn't have a specific destination -only the goal to find something wonderful and hidden in plain sight. Yesterday we stumbled into Sugar Loaf village, a town full of artisans and crafts people, all with interesting stories and wares for sale. Our daughter Emily had initiated the destination and we were all delighted to be among the less than hand full of visitors this time of year. It gave us time to talk to the few artisans who had their doors open. Our adventures have become one of the marks of who we are. We are bound together, not just by blood, marriage, love - and all that good stuff -but by our willingness all to cast stability aside for adventure and for finding treasures in hidden places.

Jesus continues his prayer for his disciples - all men who have cast stability and normalcy aside for adventure and seeking God's treasure in their lives. They often got lost and off track. They fumbled around and dropped the ball, and misunderstood each other, arguing jealously with one another. But they were also bound together as one - in the love of Christ and in their companionship together. Love and a life together bound them so well that they could survive great tragedy and thrive beyond their darkest days.

Today, I want to celebrate my companions in adventures, those who have helped me find treasure in love hidden everywhere. Mark, Emily, Ariel, Phoebe, and all our friends and family who have made being bound together in love such a daily joy. May you remember all those who sought you in love, and rejoice in a God who desires most our unity rather than our perfection. That we all may be one.