Vacations Don’t Last Forever
This is not a picture of my reality. It’s a snapshot of a sweet time of refreshment the Lord gave Ben and me this fall. In the midst of our crazy busy life, we escaped for a week to this sunny oasis. A long-awaited Covid-postponed anniversary trip. Each day we’d go for a walk, enjoy a leisurely breakfast and make our way to the beach- a stark contrast from our early morning wake-ups and bustling kitchen as we get the kids off to school.
I wondered what it would be like if this was my everyday life? It reminded me of how God led the whiny Israelites to the desert resort of Elim, were there were 12 springs of water and 70 palm trees (Exodus 15:27-16:1). A place of rest and refreshment after an arduous trek through the wilderness. But it seems they were hardly there before setting out again for the dry and barren wilderness of Sin. . Have you ever wondered why God doesn’t allow our mountain-top experiences to last very long? It’s not normally when I’m on vacation that I’m seeing my need for Christ. Laying on the beach, sipping on lemonade- I have to remind myself that this is not heaven on earth. Yet God uses those times to refresh us and cause us to have a fresh sense of gratitude.
It’s in the valleys of life, when anxieties are mounting, that I sense my greatest need for Jesus. It is in the low times of life that I am desperate for a glimmer of hope from His Word. It’s in those times that I cry out to Him for help and sustaining grace. It’s not that God doesn’t want us to enjoy the vacations of life, but He knows all too well that our dependence on Him will lessen when everything is handed to us without any hardships. We will be tempted to be self-reliant and forgetful of all He has done. On the contrary, God is glorified when we cry out to Him for help and salvation. He reminds us in these desert times of life, that He is our rock, our fortress, our provider and salvation.
So if you happen to find yourself in a “vacation” spot today, be thankful for this gift given to you. Be refreshed and ponder all the ways God has been faithful to bless you. And for those of you in a valley, remember that these are the times God is using to refine you, to strengthen you as you learn to depend on Him more.