I just came back from a weeklong trip to beautiful St. Croix. My husband Kevin and I decided this was the year we’d take a break from the winter and spend some time in the tropics.
We stayed at a bed and breakfast tucked away in the tranquil rolling hills on the east side of the island. The panoramic views of the ocean from the deck were second to none. Every morning I’d step out into the warm Caribbean air and survey the varied shades of turquoise waters against the backdrop of Buck Island.
Our schedule was fairly loaded with activities for the week. We kayaked in the marina, went horseback riding on the beach and rainforest, sampled the various restaurants, and shopped in the quaint boutiques. When we weren’t on the move we were on the white sandy beaches under a broad-smiled sun. The melody of the ocean washing over the seashore still plays in my mind. Sounds like paradise, doesn’t it?
Can I be honest? I felt as empty as tin drum while I was on vacation. I’ll explain later.
While I was on vacation my mind wandered back in the states regularly. I thought about our adopted son Eric who lives in a cellblock with a dozen angry inmates. These men are undisciplined, wondering orphans who don’t have a heavenly Father and in many cases are without an earthly father as well. This volatile civilization requires a guarded awareness at all times even though the inmates are under constant surveillance. The prison conditions are dirty. The daily food rations are sparse. In most cases the guards are as angry as the inmates and as cold as the air in this concrete fortress.
But Eric is as full as the sun shining over beautiful St. Croix.
Isn’t it ironic? Two people ~ one basking in paradise. One incarcerated. One feeling empty. One fully satisfied. How? Simple! Jesus!
So what happened to me in St. Croix? Where did I go wrong?
When we went away I planned every details of our vacation…almost. Since we stayed in a bed and breakfast, the environment was foreign to me and I was blindsided by the different spaces, level of activity, and people we shared the space with. While I attempted intimate time with God everyday, I felt like a fish out of water. I was easily distracted, and I carelessly fell victim to the busy schedule we kept. My discipline went out the window when my structure fell away. You would think in such a beautiful environment I would have found my way to my Savior so easily. How foolish I was! Every day the life in me slowly drained away like a leaking pool. By the end of the week I was empty and I missed my Jesus.
When I’m home my normal routine is pretty regimented. I get up early every morning so I can start my day with my Savior. By beginning the day with Jesus I am putting Him first. In addition, I make it a practice to bring Jesus into my circumstances throughout the day. This discipline has created a heightened awareness of His presence in my life and has taken my relationship with Him to a whole new level. When I encounter a problem or a blessing I turn to Jesus and we share it together. I am very much aware that I am never alone. And this is huge! Because of this practice Jesus stepped out of the pages of the Bible and became a real person to me. He’s not an idea or a character in a set of stories. He’s not even a religion. He’s my Friend, my constant Companion, my King. This practice has made the load in my life is so much lighter and the sweet communion I enjoy with Jesus so much sweeter.
If it’s one thing St. Croix has taught me it’s this ~ the world, in all of its splendor, will run hollow if Jesus isn’t there.
Eric understands this concept all too well. When I arrived in St. Croix my cellphone rang. It was Eric. By the sound of his warm voice and his boisterous laughter you’d think he just stepped off the plane. When I asked how he was doing he said, “I’m blessed! I’m blessed!” Of course he’s blessed. Eric is always with Jesus and Jesus makes Eric free!
Can I ask you something? Do you live with Jesus? Is He first? Do you spend your days sharing life with Him? Is it your impulse to run to Him with your circumstances, both good and bad? When we develop a conscious awareness of Jesus’ presence, not only is life so much easier, but it’s so much more fulfilling as well.
Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. John 8:36
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:30
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:8a
Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ. Philippians 3:8
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. II Corinthians 3:17
