 Bayshore Cottage where internet isn't so good for blogging! Ahhh! Rest! |  Front Porch where I am writing to you! |  A most delightful respite! |
After I have played Wonder-Woman for the last week getting my house straightened and back in order from the past couple of draining months, Brian and I wisped away for a mini-vacation. It is actually here from this beautiful front porch setting that I am writing to you, but sadly, I’ll likely be home by the time you are reading it! When you are grossly depleted it is often difficult to unwind, breath, and relax! So that’s the way our trip began...tired, weary, rushed, hungry, and anxious to break away! We both had meetings very early before it even started and didn’t get away until after lunch. Did I mention that I was hungry?! Brian’s meeting was during breakfast so his tummy was quite satisfied. My meeting was an hour away, at 7:30am, and NO food! I could feel myself turning into a bear!
When Kathy and I are together, I always tease her about making sure she has eaten because when she goes without food, grumpiness begins to control her attitude! OK! It does for me, too! And…for Brian. Now that I think about it, everyone I know gets a little grumpy when they haven’t eaten!
Back to my story…
Back to my story…
After 15 minutes on the road, I decided to swing into Burger King for a fast burger. Wrong move! Now I’m even grumpier because we have been trapped in line too long and my vacation was awaiting me, and of course the food was…well? Was it food?! You get the point! Yep, made me even more grumpy because I knew better and did it anyway! I was desperately starving and knew it would be several hours until our destination and would get to eat.
We finally made it to our little cottage B & B on the bay. Adorable! I was anxiously looking forward to coffee time on the porch, pier sitting, browsing the quaint shops on the main street, eating out of doors at interesting cafes, and watching the orange sun sink into the water on the horizon. My soul was hungry for all of this and I knew indulging in these things would release the stress, feed my desire, and I would be refreshed! And it did…somewhat! The variety of smells, sights, and sounds stimulated my senses and stirred up my creative juices! Poor Brian, also desperately needing a brain break, had to listen to all of my creative ideas.
We finally made it to our little cottage B & B on the bay. Adorable! I was anxiously looking forward to coffee time on the porch, pier sitting, browsing the quaint shops on the main street, eating out of doors at interesting cafes, and watching the orange sun sink into the water on the horizon. My soul was hungry for all of this and I knew indulging in these things would release the stress, feed my desire, and I would be refreshed! And it did…somewhat! The variety of smells, sights, and sounds stimulated my senses and stirred up my creative juices! Poor Brian, also desperately needing a brain break, had to listen to all of my creative ideas.
Our first day began with coffee on the pier and then a lovely breakfast in the main house. I’m so glad we had that wonderful breakfast because as the day progressed and as we strolled up and down the streets, time slipped away and we both began to get hungry. And you know what comes with hunger….? Grumpiness! I’ll spare you the details but we went into 2 different establishments for a late lunch and walked out of both of them! You can imagine our conversations about “what do you wanna do?” and “what do you want to eat?” and “where do you want to go?” At this point, I didn’t really care, just sit me down and put some food in front of me! I have now gone 2 days with extra, extra long periods of time without eating. My grumpy meter was pushing RED! In all fairness, Brian’s was too!
 To make a long story short (remember I’m on vacation), we finally found a wonderful place to eat…for supper! As we drove back to our cottage, I noticed that both of our attitudes were much happier! We were pleasant to one another, and were nourished enough to delight ourselves in more exploration of the area! During our drive, I made the comment to Brian about how quickly the tables reversed after we satisfied our hunger. Always looking for object lessons, I began to think about God’s Word and how it is nourishment for our soul. They are wonderful words of life. His Word brings life and rest to our soul. His Word satisfies the hunger of our soul. Jesus is the bread of life and I don’t think that it is coincidence that He was born in Bethlehem, for Bethlehem is called House of Bread. |  Looking out onto the bay after our delightful supper indulgent! Resting and relaxing! |
We can get into such a hurry, get caught up in the details of life, and forget to get our nourishment for the day. A taste of Him helps sustain. An appetite of indulging in the meat of the Word will bring about growth! We had a delightful full course supper after our day of being famished. Our bellies were full, there was a smile on our face, and of course after eating, we felt like we were ready for a nap or early to bed sleep (rest!). Isn’t that the way it is with reading the Bible and sharing a meal with the Lord?! Our spiritual belly is full, our face radiates happiness, and we are walking in rest with the Lord.
Please consider spending time with the Father today. Remember that this blog is but a taste of how God speaks to us. You cannot get spiritually full feasting on someone else’s experience. Feed yourself or you’ll starve. Find God in the little moments of life. Feast on His word and delight yourself with His presence. It is most fulfilling!...and I might add, exciting! Remember what happens when hunger sets in. You get grumpy!
Please consider spending time with the Father today. Remember that this blog is but a taste of how God speaks to us. You cannot get spiritually full feasting on someone else’s experience. Feed yourself or you’ll starve. Find God in the little moments of life. Feast on His word and delight yourself with His presence. It is most fulfilling!...and I might add, exciting! Remember what happens when hunger sets in. You get grumpy!
“O taste and see that the Lord is good.” Ps. 34:8a This scripture verse begins with an emotional declaration…Oh! It is used to express a particular range of emotion. Next word in the verse is an action verb, taste. You must begin with tasting and it is just a small sample! Next action word is see, which means to perceive with the eyes or to discern visually. You have to become aware. Notice that these to verbs are linked with and. They need to be joined together. The next part is a phrase, that the Lord is good. This refers to whom and what. It is The Lord and His character that is good. Good is expressing approval. Now the Lord doesn’t need our approval, but His character surely will meet our approval.
The next part of the verse is one we often skip over but in fact, is very important!
“How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! vs.8b” When you taste and see that the Lord is good, you become happy as you take refuge (a condition of being safe, sheltered, from danger or trouble.) in Him. Interesting that happiness comes after tasting! No more grumpy! Ha-ha!
The next part of the verse is one we often skip over but in fact, is very important!
“How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! vs.8b” When you taste and see that the Lord is good, you become happy as you take refuge (a condition of being safe, sheltered, from danger or trouble.) in Him. Interesting that happiness comes after tasting! No more grumpy! Ha-ha!
I'm still looking rather worn but restoration is on the horizon! Here is a selfie of me and Brian after we had spent a long day of hunger, tired backs, and grumpiness! Once we were rested, nourished, tasted of the Lord's goodness, and saw the blessings of His faithfulness to us, our countenance changed and we actually sang a new song! I believe the outcome is likewise true when you apply the same principles to your spiritual journey...just don't wait until someone notices how grumpy you've become!
Tasting of His Goodness
and Not Starving myself of the Bread of Life,
Sherry
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