Dear Sister,
Have you ever prepared for a well-needed vacation? In July of 2018, I was in need of deep REST and so I packed my sunglasses, bathing suit, and sun-block, and headed to the US Virgin Islands for a “Girls-Trip” with my mother and grown daughter. Just nine months earlier the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico had both experienced two category 5 hurricanes back to back. We arrived ready to see the islands of St Croix, St John, and St Thomas up close. While the islands were still very beautiful, two of the islands, St Thomas and St John, carried much of the sting of the pain and destruction caused by the hurricanes. All around us was evidence of disruption to daily life. The fear and uncertainty were palpable. By the second day, I was mostly regretful that we’d come.
Then we traveled to St Croix for the last part of our trip. We took a sea boat. It was my first experience in such a boat. A sea boat is not like the pretty Red and White Fleet you see in the San Francisco, Bay Area. The top of this vessel was flat and unbeautiful. The sides bulged out and looked to me almost like a sea creature. The seats were hard and uncomfortable. There was no calypso band or fruit punch with umbrellas like on other Caribbean vessels I’d traveled on. I was very disappointed. But as we moved out into the deep, I learned that this type of boat was not made for smooth shallow waters, it was made to travel deep waters, and high, rocky waves. The flat roof and rounded sides are built to anticipate the choppy, rough journey. We were not anticipating this journey and as we got further and further from St Thomas and into the middle of the ocean I was less willing to be on this journey…. We bounced from the right to the left constantly and the waves at times rolled over our boat. The sea waters covered our windows. While I prayed hard for Jesus to come to our rescue, my mother sat completely relaxed beside me. I began to pray hard for her as well and I imagined that this might be our end… The captain walked by and I asked him why the journey was so rough and uncomfortable. He smiled and told me ..“It’s the Season we are in.”
Something about his relaxed smile, and comfortable voice in the middle of that rocking ship, calmed and steadied me. His words gave me hope that I would survive this disorienting journey, and we would arrive at our destination. Three stomach-dropping hours later we pulled into port on St Croix. As we rounded the bend my eyes caught the most beautiful view of this majestic island and I fell in love at my first sight of St Croix. I’m sure that my love was intensified by the fact that the island was rescuing me from my sea journey. But it was also a response to the unexpected beauty I was witnessing. I was so glad I had not been able to abandon ship on my rocky journey. That was the pathway to the beautiful destination that I now have full access to.
While St Croix had experienced the same 2 hurricanes, its damage appeared less impactful on the souls of her residents. St Croix’s progress and repair appeared greater. I asked about this and learned that St Croix is a much more laid back island, to begin with. It has a slower pace of life than the other two islands. St Croix’s local community is tight-knit, and they were working well together to rebuild their island. As they’d examined their island they found that their reefs had experienced less stress and were better positioned to recover from the damage of the hurricanes. So, while there was much damage to repair, their way of living life, healthy relationships, and the lands good management of stress made St Croix better able to weather the storms. I believe this incident gives us a deep lesson on the power of Sabbath, and the life that Rest invites us to.
My Sister,
Much of 2020 has felt as if we’ve experienced one long year of a hurricane. “It’s The Season We Are In” …The early onslaught of the Covid-19 virus and its subsequent quarantines, with the closure of schools and businesses, and job loss was followed by gusty winds of loud community protest over our broken social systems. The recent choppy autumn election season has us all working to steady ourselves in the midst of unsteady waves of political twists and turns much like my sea boat experience. But, our resiliency and recovery from 2020’s storms are held by the roots of our trust in Christ as the Captain of our souls. Our courage for the journey of 2021 is based on a faith in His ability to lead us through unsteady waters, and His promise to bring us to peaceful shores. Today, if your waves are rocked by stress, or loneliness, loss, or any of life’s waves, “Come away with me. Let us go alone to a quiet place and rest for a while..” (Mark 6:31). Deep Rest is more important than ever. It tells God that we trust Him to handle 2020… For this is what the LORD GOD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest you will be saved; in staying calm and trusting will be your strength.“ (Isaiah 30:15) Breathe deep…Something beautiful is just ahead!
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