Hungry Hearts

Receive and experience the amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, deep, deep within yourselves. Phil 4:23 The Message

I'm just returning from a 7-day cruise, 8 days away with my husband's family. My mother-in-law will soon celebrate her 80th birthday and the trip was something she booked a year ago.

My side of the family, (true to our Irish Catholic heritage), is loaded with aunts, uncles, second-cousins and third-cousins-once-removed ... some of whom I've never even met. In contrast, my husband, Jeff's side of the family consists of:
1-Jeff, 2-his mom, 3-his brother, 4-our son David. That's it. The personalities in this group are very different; our size, shapes and styles are all different. When you see the 5 of us together, there is little family resemblance and very few shared interests. So, I had some anxiety over spending a week at sea together in close quarters. I am happy to report that we all survived, and all got along well.

The only casualty so far appears to be my waistline, it will be a long time before the words "midnight buffet" bring a smile to my lips.

It is amazing what you can learn about yourself when you get out of your normal environment for a few days. I consider myself a disciplined person; a creature of habit, actually. I brought along my alarm clock, work out wear, vitamins, flax seed oil, and travel Bible. Unfortunately, each of these items remained securley zipped up in the front pocket of my suitcase ... hardly touched, but sorely needed.

Oh, at first, it was delightful to sleep in; to eat and drink non-stop; to bask in the sun, people-watch at the pool, and eavesdrop on all kinds of crazy conversations. As evening approached you'd wonder, should we go to the comedy show, the talent competition, or the casino? Does the Asian-Fusion restaurant on Deck 6 sound more appealing than the Steakhouse on Deck 8; am I in a jasmine rice or baked potato & butter state of mind? The daily choices abound and you think, "wow, I could get used to being served, pampered, and spa'd like this for the rest of my life!"

But, by about Day 4 or 5, the foo-foo drinks start to taste too sugar-y, and the thought of limiting your un-limited portions, crosses your mind. Suddenly, you are counting out slices of bacon rather than that shovel-full you've been consuming at the previous buffets. As you put on your bathing suit you see that your "abs" now resemble that hunk of blueberry cheesecake you just consumed. Your legs are getting tan, so you go from the #45 sunblock down to the #15; but, soon your son comments that your back looks like that lobster shell you were dining out of last night. The "Good Life" is not really good for us at all!

The Bible warns that the wages of sin is death; suddenly see where all this self-indulgence is leading, as the waistband on your shorts threatens to cut off your air supply. YIIKES! There will be a day of reckoning, but you go with the flow, because afterall you are on vacation, and you don't want to ruin eveyone else's fun. Secretly you begin to yearn for a Pilates class, a protein shake, and a long letter from the Apostle Paul, (instead of the Self Magazine you're holding in your hand!) We naturally gravitate to what hurts us in the long run. The short run is so appealing, when it's right there in front of us... and it's free!

No matter how much we say we love Jesus, we must admit that we are prone to wander... prone to put self and stomach first. We must actively, daily choose again and again to follow Jesus, accepting Him into our hearts is not a one-time event.
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I got up early this morning, eager to get back to my Bible and quiet time with The Lord.
First, I thanked Him for the love of family and for the unity that He brought to us on the trip. Then, I asked Him to help me to make better choices, and to please keep His Face in front of me. I asked His Holy Spirit to give me that extra pause as I consider what I am eating, drinking, and thinking today. Lord, take me off of auto pilot now, and get me back on track. Help me to remember that many things promise to fill us, but they only fatten us up; leave us empty.

It's not all the stuff 'out there,' its His Still, Small Voice deep WITHIN US that satisfies a hungry heart. Experience the amazing grace of The Master, Jesus Christ, deep within, that is where The Good Life...Our REAL Life... is found, in Christ Alone.