Scattering

I would consider myself someone who kinda gets most concepts in the Bible, even the controversial and difficult material. But there is one that I am constantly struggling with and that is the idea of scattering. Throughout scripture, we see people endure times of gathering and then scattering. Abraham from his family. The Israelites into the holy land. The kingdoms of Israel and Judah into Babylonian captivity. The early church and the disciples suffering persecution by the Roman and Jewish Authorities. It is nothing new and I know there are probably thousands of examples of displaced peoples throughout history, but there are even seasons of our lives where we experience scattering as well. This past year has been my season for that. After finishing up touring for the summer, each and every one of the group was heading into a new direction in their lives(mostly jobs and school). But I had committed to a job that was over 1500 miles away from everyone else and when you spend three months on the road playing music with people, you form a special bond. I wasn’t just scattering from them but also my family. Even though I hadn’t lived with them since Covid, I was moving far from them. It was a hard decision but looking back it was probably one of the best I could have made. It gave me space to grow and become someone without my family(though I still call at least once a week). But I think it makes the moments where we do come together even more special. If you read the previous post, my brother got married, and our family is in a new phase of life. We gathered to celebrate this holy union and family and friends across the years were able to come together, catch up and share in memories. But just as quickly as we came together, we scattered again but in a new way. My parents have retired to Idaho to live out their days fishing and enjoying nature. My brother and his wife currently reside in Utah, where they will start their new life together. Whereas, I returned to Nashville. When I was dropped off at the Bozeman Airport, I held back tears because we were scattering again and the return to my lonely apartment wasn’t any better. But that’s what makes coming together so special. The distance shows that these relationships are important and long lasting. And while I am reunited with the few I call friends out here in Tennessee, I look forward to the coming together again even if the scattering is inevitable.