Away From the World

Today my class got to journey past our normal "safe zone" boundaries into the city of Bethlehem. We stopped by many sites throughout the day, that I will hopefully get to in another post. But at the end of the day we went to a place we like to call the "Shepard's Field".

Pretty much we found our own space in Bethlehem to talk about the the biblical story of Christ's birth. We arrived as the sun was going down and walked to our own little spot in the field. It was at that time that my teacher gave us all the time to wander alone and find our own little space to do with what we pleased.

I started walking; down the rocks, across the grass. I wasn't going anywhere in particular, just away. Away from people, away from the world. My legs carried my where my heart told them, not bogged down with the handicap of logical thinking that normally drives my every day.

That is where I found my spot. Surrounded by green, a nice rock bed. With a view of the fields all around me.

I sat on the ground and looked out over the field and just took it all in. Sitting there, I reflected on my time in Jerusalem, my time spent in Bethlehem. Then I looked out at the scene before me and began to pray, thanking my God for the experiences I've had hear and the opportunities and people I've come to know.

I wanted to take the time to read my scriptures during this alone time as well, but I couldn't without letting my Heavenly Father know how much I appreciate Him and His hand in my life. As I continued in my prayer of gratitude, tears fell from my eyes. Again, this is a rare occurrence for me. I felt an immense love for and from my Heavenly Father. Needless to say my alone time was well spent.

After the appropriate amount of time I headed back to the spot of my class. We sat around, sky now dark and began to sing Christmas hymns. In Luke 2 we read the story of Christ's birth. Verse 13 tells tale of a multitude of heavenly hosts praising God. During our songs I began to wonder if this wasn't the first time I sang in Bethlehem.

After our songs, my teacher shared some of his thoughts and insights. He talked about the value of our alone time and asked us to have some time of communal silence. I looked at the stars and thought about the universe and the great gospel knowledge I've been blessed with. When my teacher broke the silence he said, "Let's go back to the world." Without even thinking I whispered, "I don't want to go back to the world."