8 p.m. ….

“We’re not called to be comfortable, but to be faithful”

Irene Dias

That quote rings in my ears and that “mantra” has been a significant part of our family philosophy, since July 1, 1995.  Why, you ask?  On that date we moved from Merced to the Santa Cruz area.  It was a defining date for us that we vividly remember.  We were leaving everything that was familiar …. home, neighborhood, family, friends, church, schools, shopping malls, business and community leadership (I was Mayor Pro Tempore at the time), and moving to a new destination on our life journey.  We were confident that God was calling us, but all four of us were leaving our “comfort zones” to an “unknown territory” …. mostly a location and future we knew little about.

The first 24 months were especially challenging for a variety of reasons but we really grew spiritually.  It was during that season that Irene’s quote became the mantra that we use to this day.

I am reminded of the following journey that the Old Testament Patriarch, Abraham, was on.  From this verse it appears that his “comfort zones” were being challenged as well:

“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home …. like a stranger in a foreign country ….”

Heb 11:8-9

And Jesus simply wants to know if he will find us faithful upon his return:

“However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

Luke 18:8b

Irene’s quote is very powerful.  She isn’t called to be comfortable on the road she’s on, but she is called to be faithful.  And that she is.  Maybe that is what accounts for her gentle, trusting, yet determined spirit along the way.

We went to the dialysis center today for Irene’s blood “cross-check” in preparation to receive two units of blood on Monday morning.  The combination of three powerful nausea medications is giving Irene some tummy relief.

Since Irene still cannot go out to public places, we picked up a crab sandwich “to go” and took a slow “coastal” ride along East Cliff Drive, parking at a scenic view overlooking the Monterey Bay.  We had a wonderful surprise along the way.  As we were driving back home through Capitola Village, we saw Zach Langton, one of Irene’s diligent nurses in the ICU @ UCSF, strolling down the sidewalk with his wife and friends.  I shouted out to Zach and after seeing Irene, he ran over to our vehicle and gave her a friendly greeting and big HUG!!!!  It was an emotional moment realizing where she’d come from and where she is today.

We’re grateful for today and look forward to tomorrow.  It really doesn’t matter whether or not we’re comfortable on the specific path we’re on.  What matters to God is if we’re faithful on that journey.

Caminando con Fé
Dave