Jeremiah 5:22 (ESV)—Do you not fear me? declares the Lord. Do you not tremble before me? I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea, a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass; though the waves toss, they cannot prevail; though they roar, they cannot pass over it.
Last week I sat on the beach with my family, soaking up sun rays, boogie boarding for hours, and even stand-up paddleboarding. I reclined on my beach chair. I sat with my back to the waves with my niece, nephew, and sister, laughing as we tumbled, and spitting out the occasional mouthful of salt water. I felt rested and rejuvenated.
The ocean is about more than rest and fun, though, and this verse in Jeremiah adds to my perspective. The next time I walk on the sand, searching the water for rays, the next time I swim in the ocean, catching waves on a boogie board, and the next time I simply sit in the surf, watching the waves break, I’ll remember God’s power and stand in awe of the One who set the sands into place.
When the river tips over our kayak, God remains with us and plans to rescue us.
Jeremiah 1:7–8 (NIV)—But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.
When I travel, I avoid certain activities. Kayaking, because I’ve tried and failed at it twice. Ziplining, because I’m afraid of heights. Diving, because I can’t breath through a snorkel tube, let alone whatever breathing apparatus diving requires—not to mention I sink like a rock in water.
I choose whether to do these activities on the basis of my feelings, both physically and emotionally. By not doing them, I feel safe and calm, which is important to me.
Yet these challenges don’t compare to those to which God calls us. At times, God calls us to situations we’d rather ignore even though we’d rather feel safe and calm. Perhaps God calls us to reach out to a friend even though we’re socially awkward. Maybe he plants the seed of an overseas mission trip in our mind when we’re afraid of flying. Possibly he asks us to give more generously than our budget allows.
Scary? Yes!
Uncomfortable? Absolutely!
But God doesn’t call us to watch us squirm in discomfort. He calls us because he handcrafted a plan for us, a sometimes awe-inspiring, sometimes awkward, sometimes easy, sometimes frightening plan. When God calls, and we answer yes, he promises us his presence. He stands with us, and he wants to rescue us in his time.
Jeremiah 30:18 (NIV)—“This is what the Lord says: “‘I will restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents and have compassion on his dwellings;the city will be rebuilt on her ruins, and the palace will stand in its proper place.’”
I love visiting ruins, standing between four incomplete walls and looking up to see blue sky. Ruins tell a tale of the past, what once was. The bones of ancient churches sit abandoned in the countryside. Concrete gazebos covered in vines stand in the middle of forests. Castles crumble beside lakes and oceans. The remains of these structures signal an end.
For God’s people, ruins came with a promise of a new beginning. In Jeremiah, God promised the rebuilding of Jerusalem on top of the ruins. The ruins became the foundation for the new city where the people would sing songs of thanksgiving and rejoice, and where the people would receive honor and respect. The ruins promised a final restoration in God’s Kingdom.
I am privileged to serve a God who rebuilds on the ruins rather than leaves them to the forces of nature. He stabilizes the bones of the structure. He strips away the vines and overgrowth from walls. He sweeps away the crumbling pieces. He builds a stronger and more beautiful future on top of the past.
Haggai 1:7–8 (ESV)—Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the Lord.
I have a confession: When I’m on vacation, I often forget to pray, to study my Bible, or to read a devotional. I pack devotional books or plan to read my Bible as soon as I wake up…but the ocean calls, the tour leaves at a specific time, or wildlife snatches my attention, and I promise myself I’ll do it later. Later never materializes.
Even in a time of rest, it’s important that we make God a priority. Building up the Lord’s house is a full-time job with glorious benefits. God takes pleasure when we include him in our travels. He wants to join us on our journeys. But more so, he wants us to remember to put him first, to honor him. He doesn’t want our excuses; he wants us to experience his greatest blessings—and we experience his greatest blessings when we prioritize our relationship with him.
So…new plan for vacation: put my well-meaning thoughts into action and bask in the warmth of knowing I prioritized God (perhaps while basking in the sun on a white sand beach). I pray you do the same in a destination of your choosing!
Proverbs 11:25 (NIV) A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.
Proverbs 11:25 (ESV) Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.
Proverbs 11:25 (NKJV) The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself.
When I think about refreshment in relation to vacation, I picture myself soaking up the sun while lounging on the beach, frozen fruit-flavored mocktail in hand and audiobook playing in my ears. Or I ponder collapsing at the peak of a mountain hiking trail and soaking in the view, knowing I completed the three-mile hike and survived, and now I needed to rest before the trek down.
I think everyone needs this type of refreshment. For me, the beach offers the ultimate in relaxation and hiking gives a sense of accomplishment.
But, I admit, I am guilty of forgetting to refresh my spirit while traipsing around new places. The views claim my attention. The yummy donuts and ice cream beckon me. The museums and sites fill my brain with information that I promptly forget after the vacation ends.
So how do I, as a traveler, refresh my spirit while on an adventure? Devotionals, Bible reading, and prayer, yes. Another answer lies in Proverbs 11:25. It is in the moment at the beachside bar when I have an opportunity to bless another and refresh my spirit.
Did I treat the staff with respect? Did I say please and thank you? Did I give a generous tip? Did I act in a godly manner, a manner that may bless another and, in turn, refresh my spirit?
Perhaps my kindness lifted the worker’s spirit after an encounter of the not-so-nice kind. Maybe my tip helped the worker to pay their grocery bill. Possibly my review, later in the day, on a website, earned a worker a raise or a promotion.
I may never know the blessing I bestow on another. And that’s okay. Yet, when I travel, I have to act with intention in my words and actions toward others. In this way, I partake in spiritual refreshment.
All that said, I close with this (slightly silly) analogy: Like a fruity mocktail satisfies physical thirst, a positive review, a kind word, a generous tip, an upbeat attitude quenches spiritual thirst.
Philippians 1:9–11 (ESV)—And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Paul’s prayer about love speaks to my traveler’s heart. While exploring the world, we have a chance to reflect God’s love, and it’s important for us to pray for more love. More love for the flight crew when our plane gets delayed. More love for the hotel workers when our room is not ready at the scheduled time. More love for when the weather doesn’t cooperate. More love for when service at a restaurant takes longer than expected. More love for the tour company that cancels our outing. More love for our travel partners. More love for ourselves.
More love! There’s never such a thing as too much love. Before you embark on your next adventure, pray for abounding love.
If Paul were to write a letter to travelers about generosity and tipping, I think he’d reiterate some of the same points he did to the Corinthians. He’d tell travelers to prepare in advance to give tips. He’d say tipping is an act to be done not out of obligation but with a willing heart. He’d point out that the amount travelers give does not matter as long as it comes from a heart that wants to give. He’d say travelers who give with a willing heart fulfill the material needs of others while fulfilling their own spiritual needs. He’d tell travelers that giving with a generous spirit gives other people a reason to thank God.
Whether we’re giving to the church or giving to someone else, generosity goes beyond giving—it’s about attitude and heart. Our ability to give and our willingness to give both come from God (1 Chronicles 29:14). As such, our travels deserve the same preparation that we give to other areas of our lives.
Generosity begins with spiritual preparation. Prayer brings our focus to God. The same as we ask a blessing before a meal, we need to ask for God’s blessing on our vacation. We can pray for those who will receive the tips and for the impact of the tips and ask God to prepare our hearts to give.
Generosity also requires material preparation. A budget helps us to stay within our God-given blessings. It eliminates the element of surprise, allowing our hearts to gain a spirit of generosity. We can prepare envelopes of tips for housekeeping, room service, and others who deliver services but do not charge us directly. We can also budget extra for those instances we receive exceptional service.
Before your next vacation, read and meditate on 2 Corinthians 9. What does God say to you about generosity? What do you need to do to prepare yourself to give with a willing heart?
Another Generous Act—Beyond a material tip, we have the opportunity to bless others through words. Give a shout-out to a particularly helpful person on a review website, describe the great service on a company’s survey, or tell management of the person’s hard work.
Every scene has five parts: an inciting incident, progressive complications, a crisis, a climax, and a resolution. The inciting incident disrupts the main character’s world. Progressive complications make the character’s life more difficult. The crisis asks the question, do I or don’t I? The climax is when the character takes action in regard to the crisis question. The resolution shifts the value of the story and moves the plot forward.
Consider Chapter 3 of Genesis. The serpent asks Eve questions and offers more insight about the tree (inciting incident). This changes the status quo world. Next, Eve eats of the tree and shares the fruit with her husband (complications). They then realize their nakedness, and hearing God walking in the Garden, they feel a desire to hide (more complications). The turning point complication comes when God addresses them directly. They have to choose whether or not to admit to having eaten the fruit (crisis). They admit it through the blame game (climax). God then tells them the consequences of their actions (resolution). In this case, the value shifts in a negative direction from life toward death.
Inciting Incident
“Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” (verse 1)
Progressive Complications
The serpent tells Eve she will not die but will have more knowledge.
Eve shares the fruit with her husband, Adam, and he too partakes.
They realize their nakedness.
They hear God walking in the Garden and hide.
God asks, “Where are you?” (verse 9)
Gods asks Adam, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” (verse 11)
God asks Eve, “What is this you have done?” (verse 13)
Crisis
Do I admit to eating from the tree or not?
Climax
Adam blames Eve.
Eve blames the serpent.
Resolution
God curses the serpent.
God brings about pain in childbearing.
God curses the ground.
God brings about death.
God makes Adam and Eve clothing.
God banishes Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden.
Publication—it’s a dream for every writer, whether a magazine article, a novel, a poem, or a short story. It says I have succeeded as a writer. It says I have accomplished a lifelong dream. It says someone wants to read my writing.
As Christian writers, we know God has set forth a plan for us.
Sometimes, though, the mirage-like goal becomes like the tree in the Garden of Eden—a sparkling temptation. We want to know the future of our writing, so we submit when a piece is not ready. We put in more hours at the expense of family time. We forget to pray about our writing.
When I pray for my writing, I find more focus. While I cannot know the outcome of my writing, I write with joy because God designed me with a passion to write. The destination for my writing, I leave in God’s hands.
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
—Jeremiah 29:11
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate.
A crisp wind blows across the Mississippi River in Clarksville, Missouri. Remnants of snow cover the ground. Chunks of ice float in the river. People walk along the sidewalk in the riverside park, their gazes toward the water. Photographers view the surroundings through super telephoto lenses.
Though the winter has brought about temperatures cold enough to freeze the Mississippi River in places, the lock and dam churns the water with enough force to break up the ice.
Despite the cold, I do not slip on my gloves or bury my hands in my pockets. Instead, I grasp the camera hanging around my neck, ready to capture a moment.
Hundreds of eagles perch in the trees across the river. Some stretch their wings, circling overhead. Others swoop down toward the water to scoop up fish in their talons, only to have to fight off another eagle. Sometimes they fly away with their catch; other times the fish falls back into the river.
This scene from our annual trip to watch the eagles reminds me of God’s provision. He has provided a spot on the river for the eagles to feast during the winter. For certain, I don’t need a super telephoto lens to see God’s provision. It’s on display in nature, ready to be seen.
Does the eagle soar at your command and build its nest on high?
—Job 39:27
Who provides for the raven its prey, when its young ones cry to God for help, and wander about for lack of food?
—Job 38:41
But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
