I had never wanted to go to Hawaii. It had always been a reasonable postponement for a potentially glorious honeymoon some day. God must have known but He clearly had a better plan. As I was journaling on the top of a mountain in my 1st week on the island, He spoke to me with such clarity. When the power behind His words hit me, tears began to pour down my face. Two minutes prior, I was joking when I said, “You just had to have your way didn’t you Jesus?” It was at that moment when His words resonated. He said, “This is our honeymoon and you are my bride.” As His breath blew, the revelation of His words penetrated my soul. The gift of my 1st love was so profound that it birthed a whole new concept of why I was truly there. It was an epiphany that suddenly made sense. He flew me almost 4,000 miles away to leave my world and enter into His.
For the past 4 months, I lived a life where the fast pace, 9-5 workdays, & routines ceased to prevail. On the little island of Oahu, intimacy with Christ was my proclamation; it was my quest. I would trust Christ with every detail and order in my life. I would learn that after jumping off the cliff, not only would He be ready at the bottom to catch me with outstretched arms but from that day forward I would fly with the blessings washed over me. The blessings that followed the sacrifice and obedience to do His will.
He would ordain and send me on a pilgrimage to minister to people I had never before met. He would hand pick every person that crossed my path. He would open doors for me to be able to visit homeless shelters and speak with women and families and men in impoverished communities. Every detail of my life was mapped out to bring glory to Him. I witnessed first hand the lame walk and the blind slowly begin to receive sight. The Lord was showing me a world that existed in the Bible but also in real life. I never did work. I was even reprimanded to say the least, in trying to get a job! If the Lord would care for the birds, why would He not care for me? I didn’t need an elaborate lifestyle but I needed to trust God for my daily bread knowing He would provide. So I didn’t, and instead I expanded my stakes and spent my time ministering, praying, and feeding the homeless at parks and streets, spending time in worship and communion at men’s homes and visiting the lost all over Oahu. It was a humbling experience and with Jesus by my side, we walked from road to road.
In the midst of loving the people of Hawaii, Christ was also calling for a rededication in my walk with Him. Not only was I to love people back to life but He was also calling me to spend time in solitude with Him. Many of times, outside of the university where I attended classes, I would go out and venture with Him. If it were accompanying the stillness of waters to traversing the rainforest or hiking the desert side of the mountain range, I would always make time for God and He would do the same for me. There would not be a friend to offer me an extra drink of water or someone to hold my camera as I climbed steep rocks. There would also not be a helping hand to break a fall or guidance if I got lost but there was God. So God and I would conquest to the top of the mountains, and thru the acres of guava plants of the rainforest to the hidden beaches and waterfalls of the land. I would confide in Him, He embraced every word. He made me feel empowered. He was my uplifter and encourager and always gave me peace. He was my teacher and my mentor, and my ears were always tuned to Him. No question was ever too silly or foolish; in due time, He would always offer a solution. He was never disrespectful or deceiving. I was the apple of His eye and He was mine. I trusted Him with my heart and ‘til this day, He has never turned His back from me. He has never left me alone. He would always be there, and His love would never fail me. I never knew such love existed. He didn’t have bigger and better things to do. He was omnipresent, omniscience, and omnipotent all at once; having unlimited power of being here there and everywhere at the same time while infinitely knowing everything detail about me. I learned that He was everything and anything I needed Him to be at any hour time or day. I never even knew it was possible to chat with God on a 7-hour hike and at the end, still have something to say! And more importantly, He still wanted to hear from me! Yes, this was indeed my honeymoon; I was having the time of my life. He was my perfect gentleman and I was His Bride. On several occasions, at the summit of the mountains or at the sunsets of the most beautiful beaches I would ask Him, “Isn’t this breathtaking? Isn’t this fabulous? What do you think?” Oh, the splendor of the land…. and then I would laugh forgetting who I was talking to! Yes, the earth was glorious because of Him.
He was my bridegroom and I was His bride. I trusted him with my heart and He set my entire world in motion. I offered Him my life and He took me on this unforgettable honeymoon of a lifetime. Jesus, I will forever dance with you as long as you take the 1st step.
And my beloved [will forever be] mine.”
Song of Solomon 6:3
His forever promise to us.
11 months, 11 countries. 13 more days. Follow me on this journey.
