You Don’t have to go Home, but You can’t stay Here.

We were given 3 days. Three days to leave and go on an adventure with God. We would ask Him where He wanted us to go, and then obey. We couldn’t return home. 

We had heard stories about groups in the past hitchhiking and not taking money or food, having faith that the Lord would provide for them. And He did. They had places to sleep every night and never skipped a meal. I wanted to be a part of a story like that (minus the hitchhiking part). I told Kellie and Kayla, the two in my group, that I didn’t think we should take money or food. I wanted to have faith that the Lord would provide. 

However, the night before we left, I felt uneasy. Did the Lord really ask that we not take food or money? I expressed my unease to Kayla. She said she hadn’t heard the Lord ask us to give those things up. We had put those parameters on ourselves. 

The Lord had, however, been speaking about His delight in us. And He had been inviting us into a lifesyle of enjoying Him. As we talked more, we both felt like Jesus was asking us to go on a journey of delight. Delighting in Him as He delights in us. It requires that we walk in freedom, knowing that we’re fully accepted and have nothing we need to prove to gain His love. 

 

—– DAY 1 —–

We decided to go to Savannah. None of us had been there, but we knew it was beautiful. A perfect place to go and see and enjoy. We packed the car as though we were going on vacation. We took food. We took blankets. We took a frisbee and football. Surrendering our desire to strive, we set out determined to live in the freedom that invites us to be ourselves.

Our goal wasn’t to do ministry. Ministry isn’t something we “do.” It’s a lifestyle. And it can’t be fueled by performance, as though it’s an expectation God has for us. It needs to be authentic. It has to flow from knowing that we are loved and accepted.   

We stopped at a Huddle House for lunch. We walked inside. Although I had declared that I was free from the shackles of striving, I could feel myself about to pick them back up before walking inside. What should we say? Should we be prepared to pray for someone?

Once we were inside, though, it felt natural. A waitress from behind the counter welcomed us and I found myself drawn to sit at the bar, responding to her greeting. The conversation that ensued with our new friend, Teava, was intertwined with laughter and enthusiasm. We shared about our plans for this “Adventure Week” and made fast friends with the other waitresses.

When we got back in the car, we all felt so full. And it wasn’t just because lunch had been so tasty.

We hadn’t shared the gospel. We didn’t even really talk about Jesus. But His fullness had been there.

One thing we hadn’t planned was where we would stay. Kayla and I had both felt the Lord saying that we would stay in a church. However, minutes before we left the Adventure’s office, I had been given contact information of mutual friend (Megan) who lived there. We decided to reach out to her and see if she knew of a church, or someplace else we could stay. She immediately opened her home up to us. 

And she was thee best host… providing us with a bed, couch, and sleeping pad. 

The 4 of us spent the evening sharing stories and learning about Savannah. Megan gave us some ideas of things we could do and see the next day. We couldn’t overlook the fact that Jesus loved us. He provided us with a house to stay in. We were hoping for a church, prepared to sleep in the car, but staying in a home. 

 

—- Day 2 —-

We woke up early and Megan drove us to the beach to watch the sunrise. And then we sat and waited for the day to begin. 

Taking care of us even further, Megan paid for our breakfast at ihop and then sent us on our way to enjoy Savannah, the place she calls home.

We headed to River Street and walked through the shops near the water, taking in the cobblestone and old historic buildings, and enjoying the breeze from the water. We met a man named Chris who makes flowers out of palm leaves.

We smiled and greeted him. He was so full of life as he shared about working in Savannah and what it had been like living in Jacksonville.

Suddenly, I could hear the voice again. My voice, trained by years of letting lies of the enemy influence me, was provoking me to strive.  

“You have to say something about Jesus. If you don’t, then what good was this conversation? If you don’t “minister” to Chris, this will all be a waste of time.”

That wasn’t God’s voice. God invites. He doesn’t use guilt to motivate us. God had invited us to enjoy people today. And in that moment, I was enjoying Chris. I was right where I was supposed to be. 

Chris gave us each a flower, free of charge. I could feel how much Jesus delighted in Chris. I could hear Him asking, “Don’t you see how much joy is in this man? Isn’t it awesome?”

“Chris, you are so full of joy,” I said. “Thank you for letting us see that today.” It was simple. It was short. It hadn’t been spoken from a place of obligation, but rather prompted by an invitation.

We met many more people that day. We never had a conversation about Jesus, but there wasn’t a conversation that took place where we didn’t see Him. We saw God in the people of Savannah. 

Megan, who opened her home to us, was the service of Jesus.

Chris, with his bright smile and pile of handmade flowers, was the joy of Jesus. 

Usher, the beekeeper who so enthusiastically loved his bees, was the zeal of Jesus. You should definitely take 2 minutes to read the story about this man, his bees, and the picture it paints of God’s passion for us. Click here. 

The two homeless men who we shared peanut butter sandwiches with were the humility of Jesus.

Audrey, the young woman we met at the park, was the kindness of Jesus. 

Teava, our server at Huddle House, was the nurturing heart of Jesus. 

Erin, the waitress who brought me 12 packs of crackers after I told her I was more concerned with quantity than quality, was the humor of Jesus.

The sweet man in a wheelchair who was filling the streets with beautiful gospel songs was the courage and strength of Jesus.

Dawn’s (our waitress at ihop) eyes held the beauty of Jesus. 

Emma, the woman walking her dog in the park, was the delight of Jesus. 

Pete, the Catholic priest at the cathedral, was the freedom of Jesus.  

Each of them had a characteristic and quality of Him.  

 

—- Day 3 —-

The girls and I had wondered if we should stay with Megan both nights or try and find the church where we thought we were supposed to stay. We had decided to stay with Megan. Only later did Kay come running to me with her most recent revelation.  

“Megan is the church!”

The morning we left, we found this note from her. 

 “Ladies you were great! You may have thought I was an answer to prayer, however you answered mine. Come back anytime.” – Megan

God had wanted us to stay with her. He wanted us to be in that house, loving her and receiving her love for us, a mutual sharing of blessings. That’s the church. It’s not a building. It’s a body of believers caring for one another. 

Without searching, we had found it. Without striving, we had made it.