When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12
As we crossed the bridge into island life for our vacation, the trustworthy pattern of the familiar lighthouse welcomed us back. It was time for us to slow down and breathe a sigh of release as we let go of all tension and stress of daily life.
I admit stress would keep trying to creep back in throughout the week, but that was what the respite was for. It needed dealt with over a period of time. Just like we brush our teeth everyday, but still need to go to the dentist for a good cleaning to prevent plaque buildup…we were scraping away the stress buildup.
We can get renewed through daily time with God, but still need a little more focused time with Him throughout the year. That’s what this vacation was about. It was for getting quiet and listening. Our vacations usually contain a learning aspect to them. We want to come home stronger than when we left.
The lighthouse felt like a comfy hug. I needed a visual reminder of God’s navigation in my life, knowing He’s with me to warn of hazards, help me see where I am, and to guide me to my destination. His wisdom is my light to navigate life, and loosing sight of it puts me in a position of danger.
The danger comes into my life when I go along thinking everything is just fine, yet I’m not focused on God’s light. That’s when I miss the signals I’m about to crash. I needed to remember that life isn’t about fitting God into my schedule. It’s about letting God be my beacon within the schedule, guiding me on what to do and where the hazards are. I would venture out throughout the week just to get a view of that lighthouse.
Some of my best learning took place in my morning walks with the pup. When I wasn’t chuckling over his uncoordinated efforts to walk due to distractions, I was focused on the wildlife. I was listening to the whisper (or some days the howling) of the wind, the birds’ voices, and the soothing sound of the water.
I was seeing the elegance and strength in the birds’ movements no matter the strength of the wind. I saw how the rabbit waited and watched while assessing situations before making decisions on what to do. I watched squirrels simply climb higher when they felt they needed to get out of harm’s way.
I’ve never seen snakes like I did on that trip, but there was a message there too. They showed me that there’s no reason to fear something that God already has control over. He’ll make me aware of the hazards.
The most surprising part of nature that had the biggest lesson for me was the turtles. I’ve never seen so many turtles in my life. I’ve viewed a good many on previous trips, but it was as if God was trying to get a message across to me. They even kept popping up on the entire drive home just to make sure I understood the lesson!
I believe He was telling me to slow down. I was to stop rushing about trying to accomplish things that were taking my focus away from Him. He has the best plan for my life, but as long as I’m trying to accomplish my goals and not His, I’ll never really feel like I’ve accomplished anything. I’ll never be truly fulfilled in life.
That’s what the stress has been all about…trying to be everything for everybody. I had already started to learn that lesson, but I was still feeling guilty about everyone else’s thoughts on the matter. It took some searching and help to recognize what the moral of the trip was all about.
I challenge you to slow down and be aware of your environment and what you can learn from it. Slow down and listen to what God’s will is for your life. Be aware that it might not be what others want from you, but trust Him to navigate you through life safely. Follow His guiding light and receive His amazing hope because all the other accomplishments will never bring you the peace that can be found in following Him.
