Summer 2018 vacation is in the books as complete with maple bacon donuts, sunrises, a sea turtle siting, a heaping ton of sea sand everywhere, snorkeling, Blue Mountain ice cream, baby black tips, putt-putt, deer, Shakes Frozen Custard, sunburns, quiet time with the Lord, stargazing, snowballs that really taste like mounds almond bars, sunsets, dirt roads and one shrimp shucking, oyster cracking, crab peeling contest. (I am only kidding about the contest, we made it up jokingly when I was peeling shrimp for dinner one night.) But if there were a contest I am sure I could win.
We have squeezed every last ounce of our time together for ALL IT IS WORTH! I mean we cashed in our days together like money burning a hole in our pockets all while wishing time would stand still. We are so thankful that God gifted us with beautiful weather, emerald waters and an amazing time.
With the recent loss of two grand parents, John traveling more (without family close by this has given me a new appreciation for single moms because you are serious rock stars), with the salon growing and big decisions that need to be made, this time away was so good for all of us. Now by no means am I complaining, so please don’t misunderstand. I am just being transparent because life has a crazy way of taking the wheel sometimes.
I am truly thankful and grateful. I hope you will get to take some time to unplug, slow down, breathe in some fresh air, feel the sunshine on your face, the wind in your hair and the sand between your toes. That you will sit a little longer, spend a little more time listening and slow down enough to just be still.
Because we live in a fast paced culture that teaches success in an unhealthy way and that family and children are not as important as your career. (By the way this is a lie) I have been reminded that time with our loved ones really does fly by and we don’t get it back once it’s gone. At the end of every season what truly matters most is faith, family and friends. It is not conditional to how much money we can put in the bank, how many rat races we can run or the time we’ve wasted stuck in comparison or mislead into competing. We only get one shot. One life. The memories we make are a gift. Time well spent and a life well lived leaves a legacy.
Faith is to trust and believe. Faith makes the impossible possible. When you feel like a sunken ship, beat up and bruised and your wounds are as deep as the ocean. Jesus tells his friends to cast a net and his love reaches into the deepest places. Jesus picks up all the broken ones and He makes something beautiful because the mess is never wasted. He can’t leave us the way He finds us. He is making all things new so His light shines through. He bends low and draws a line in the sand. Even the wind and the waves obey His commands. The ocean current carries us but we are never too far out of His reach. His peace, mercy and grace come like a crashing wave and we are set free. Now we have to go and share why Jesus died for all of us because hearts that have been set free can never be quiet.
“When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Luke 5:4 NIV
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19 NIV
“They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him, But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.” John 8:6 NIV
“He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. ” Mathew 8:26 NIV
“Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.” – 2 John 1:3 NIV
“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. ” Galatians 5:13 NIV
2008 Update Zondervan NIV Study Bible
