I ran for the first time in weeks today. It was muggy, but the sky was perfect. As I started running the heavy cloud cover starting to break, and then there were glimpses of the sun. By the time I had turned round, the clouds were really parting and backlit by the setting sun. Breathtaking. I stopped running for a minute and just took it in.

Lord, You're showing me again that you're beautiful.

I listened to albums that I hadn't for a while during this run, and when Switchfoot's '24' came on, I realized it was the first time I was listening to the song as a 24-year-old... and I only have 1 month left!

Twenty-four oceans
Twenty-four skies
Twenty-four failures and
Twenty-four tries
Twenty-four finds me
In twenty-fourth place
Twenty-four drop outs
At the end of the day

Life is not what I thought it was twenty-four hours ago
Still I'm singing Spirit take me up in arms with You
And I'm not who I thought I was twenty-four hours ago
Still I'm singing Spirit take me up in arms with You

There's twenty four reasons to admit that I'm wrong
With all my excuses still twenty-four strong
You see I'm not copping out not copping out not copping out
When You're raising the dead in me

Oh, oh I am the second man
Oh, oh I am the second man now
Oh, I am the second man now
And You're raising these twenty-four voices
With twenty-four hearts
All of my symphonies
In twenty four parts

But I want to be one today
Centered and true
I'm singing Spirit take me up in arms with You
You're raising the dead in me

Oh, oh I am the second man
Oh, oh I am the second man now
Oh, I am the second man now
And You're raising the dead in me yeah, yeah

I want to see miracles, to see the world change
Wrestle the angel, for more than a name
For more than a feeling
For more than a cause
I'm singing Spirit take me up in arms with You
And You're raising the dead in me

Twenty-four voices
With twenty-four hearts
All of my symphonies
With twenty-four parts
Life is not what I thought it was, twenty-four hours ago
Stil I'm singing, Spirit take me up in arms
I'm not copping out
Not copping out
Not, I'm not copping out

I would never have guessed that these lyrics would be so true of me at 24. I don't want to strive and scramble and be spent for just a feeling of being useful, for the cause of 'betterment'.

I've spent 16 months at DGS, and now I realize I might have lost my direction in there somewhere. So many voices, so many things I want to do, people want me to do, that I think people want me to do. I've failed in so many ways... in relationships, in work, in my walk with You. Lost sight of what was important, jumped from thing to thing, tried to fulfill various tasks, very few satisfactorily, fewer even wholeheartedly.

Where is the triumph I have been seeking?

Yet today You've reminded me, with the sunset and a song, that You are my hope of glory.