Happy sabbath! The word, ‘sabbath’ actually used to scare me. I’ve struggled, for most of my life, with putting too on my plate. I’m sure some of you can relate. When I began to dive more into my Christian identity, I was encouraged to take part in the day of rest- the sabbath. I thought no way in heck will I be able to take a day off of A, B, C, D etc… But I quickly realized that the weeks when I didn’t at least take an afternoon off, I was an internal mess. This time should be dedicated to learn from the Lord, whether in the Bible, at a church service, uniting in fellowship with other believers, or all of the above. He also just wants us to rest! Who remembers in Genesis when God created the heavens and earth? He RESTED on day seven! So yes, this does mean you deserve a nap today. Enjoy!
Before you fall asleep though, you’ll probably want to hear the sweetest story from my morning of the sabbath- today. My team and I attended a non denominational service very close to our base, in the middle of the jungle. It was very cute and housed about one hundred parishioners. The paster asked us to stand from the back of the room as he wanted to convey a friendly introduction to the congregation. He then asked us to say where we were from. We all said our name, the state where we reside, and then sat down for the remainder of their sermon.
One of the biggest adjustments I’ve had since being in Belize is the weather. With the heat index, it is at least 100degF every day. And since we are obviously closer to the equator, the sun just feels that much hotter. We ran out of filtered water this am and unfortunately didn’t have time to get more until this afternoon. I really felt the dehydration hit about half way through the service. I started to pray and asked God to just be with me, help ease the pain in my head, and bring me peace. The headache eased right as we were about to leave, enough to know I could make it on the walk home.
I bolted out with my team as we all wanted to fetch some more water. We were stopped by a woman, though who seemed to have chased us down. She asked which one of us was from Michigan. I stepped forward and introduced myself. She then told me that she loves Petoskey and has been there several times along with Mackinac Island. She was beaming with excitement and I was speechless. I then pointed to my tattoo on my ankle and said, “You mean this island? Are you serious!?” She smiled and continued to talk about the picture she had with Arch Rock. We hugged as her son was pulling her to the car, and continued on.
In that moment when I didn’t feel good and was getting a bit frustrated that I ventured through the heat to worship (yes, I know this sounds bad) God still showed up. He knew I needed a hug from home. I just didn’t think that would be feasible for another 11 months. But He continues to blow me away with His power and love.
It’s 2:30pm CT now and I’m in bed ready to relish in my sabbath. And yes mom, we got more water. Thank y’all for praying hard for me, please know it’s reciprocated.
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