Every 4th of July my wife and I go spend the weekend at her dad’s houseboat. It has been something we have been doing for a few years and it makes for a great time for relaxing.
Now, the 4th of July weekend is one of the busiest times at the lake. I love to wake-board and we are usually hard pressed to find water that is calm enough to make a good run. Generally we have to drive a mile or two back in order to find decent water.
Everything is just so busy…
Which makes me appreciate the mornings all the more on the lake. The last few years I’ve tried to make it a habit to go out on the lake at least one morning of my weekend stay, but not in a ski-boat… no, I prefer my mornings on the lake in a good old fashion kayak.
Well, this particular morning I decided would be my kayak extravaganza. So, I got up while steam was still rolling off the water and made my way out to a familiar cove I had been to the year before.
The year before I had found a cove that was one of the most peaceful places I had been to on the lake. It was only about a 1/4 of a mile away from the boat and it reached deep into the surrounding woods. I remember how much fun it was and since I was in a kayak I was able to go so much farther back into the cove than I ever could with a ski boat or jet ski.
So, ready to go back to my familiar cove I made my annual trip. The water was still as glass and only a few other boats were out but they were far enough away that we didn’t disturb each other.
As I was paddling along, I remember how hard and how fast my paddle was going through the water. I just couldn’t wait to get back to this cove. I just kept looking forward to the sound of silence and watching the fish swim below my kayak. The closer I got the faster I would paddle and that’s when it happened.How much of life do we miss trying to paddle our way to some destination.
If you have listened to any of my teachings before then you probably have heard me talk about those moments where God out of nowhere runs up and gives me, what I used to call, a holy kick in the butt.
Well, this was one of those moments. Inside, I heard him say, “your missing it”. Wondering what I was missing I just kept listening and that’s when it made sense. I was missing the best part of going to the cove, the part of getting there. I was in such a hurry to get back to that place I remembered that I was missing the part of enjoying the trip getting there… and I realized that this had to do with more than just my annual kayak trip.
How much of life do we miss trying to paddle our way to some destination. Many people live their lives everyday for tomorrow or the hope of, if this happens… then I will be happy, or when I get to this place in my life and have these things then I can feel complete or whole… and what we don’t realize is that while we are in hopes for tomorrow… today flashes by us… and without today we will never get to our tomorrows.
God made us to live every moment of our lives. He made us to love him and be loved and every breath that we have is a gift that holds so much more than we allow ourselves even to notice.
You see, the best part of any story is not the ending but the process that leads up to the ending…
Take a minute to think of your favorite story or movie. Now take the first 5 minutes and the last 5 minutes, and imagine everything in-between never existed. No matter what story it is, it wouldn’t be that great if all we knew was the beginning and ending.
For a story to be great we need what’s in the middle. We need the ups and downs and twists and plots.. we need to not know whats behind the door just yet so the climax is all the better when it is revealed. A great story teller chooses meticulously what the reader sees and knows as they go through the story. He writes it as a painting and each word in itself may not sound like much but when they are all added together it paints a beautiful picture and a beautiful story.
God is writing your story…
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. – Hebrews 12:2
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. – Jeremiah 29:11
I learned a lot about life from my kayak trip that 4th of July weekend. I learned that life is meant to live today and that the small passing’s, the relationships and people we meet along the way, the experiences, the choices, the way we live our life here and now all makes up the real story of life and if we are not careful.. we will miss it all.
Let us live our today’s to the full so we will live see our tomorrows come true, let us remember that our faith has an author and if we live by faith then we are given the opportunity to live the greatest story of our lives, let us remember to slow down and notice whats happening around us… the people in our lives… the opportunities God gives us… remember that God is God… and remember what happens in the middle of any story is what makes the ending…
May the painting of your life show the goodness of God and the fullness of his words be made visible in you.
