Every dream starts as a fairy tale.
That’s how you imagine it, beautiful blue skies and smiles, nobody sweats, pictures turn out perfect.
Then the people show up.
Aunt Clara still hasn’t forgiven Uncle Charlie for that thing (whatever it was) way back when. One little boy gets muddy, another has his finger stuck up his nose in the picture. The flower girl trips. The veil gets stuck.
And everyone sweats.
That’s how it happens in the real world, when real people are involved, right? Because, let’s be honest.
We’re messy.
We’re messy, and imperfect, and we’re surrounded with other messy, imperfect people. And fairy tales aren’t real.
It’s easy to forget. When the dream doesn’t unfold like we imagined, when the handsome prince (or princess) doesn’t arrive in a gilded carriage, it’s easy to forget that’s not how it works. Easy to blame ourselves. Or someone else. Or God. Easy to conclude we’ve somehow screwed up because it didn’t turn out like the TV images.
In a few weeks the FREEDOM TOUR teams will gather, first for the June 16 PROLOGUE, then for two multi-day tours. We’re all excited, training, preparing for a wonderful experience. Nobody’s planning to be frustrated or offended. Nobody expects to be grumpy from lack of sleep. Nobody expects to grumble under their breath. But no matter how hard we try, those things will happen.
They’ll happen, because we’re messy and imperfect and because community is hard. We could, I suppose, airbrush the whole thing and make it look like a fairy tale, but what’s the point? We’re not putting on a show for the adoring crowds.
We’re a group of people doing life together, working at following Jesus by loving each other and a group of kids we’ll never meet. I’m sure we’ll mess it up. The pictures won’t be perfect. I’ll likely (metaphorically, I hope) have my finger stuck up my nose a few times.
If this sounds like something you want to be part of – except maybe the finger-in-the-nose deal – there’s still time to join us. You can ride, volunteer, or donate to support the kids at the HOME OF HOPE. Check out the website: https://frontrangefreedomtour.org/
One promise. Everyone will sweat.