Sometimes it takes your man traveling for a few days to wake up to the reality of your life. Last weekend Tim left to hike the Appalachian trail with a friend. It’s amazing how much his presence is felt when he is absent.
It brought me back to a few years ago when Tim left for Nepal for ten days. Though I had been without him that long before when he trekked through Iceland, for some reason his trip to Nepal was different. I knew the remoteness of the Himalayan Mountains and was unsure if I would hear from him at all.
When he landed in China, I heard from him. When he landed in Kathmandu, he texted. When he trekked to his first village, again Tim contacted me.
The expectation was set. I would hear from him every day. Our digital world is amazing.
Mother’s Day came and he Facetimed me. Reception was spotty but I grasped he was headed further into the villages for a seven-hour hike.
I hung up with him and expected to get a text the next day.
Nothing.
I went to bed that night uneasy but not really worried. The next day, still no word. At this point, I began praying for a quick “Hello.” Still, nothing.
Around dinner time, my heart became more anxious. I knew that he would have to be back to the base soon in order to make liftoff.
I tucked the pixies into bed that night, and silently prayed all was well.
As I laid in the dark, I started counting my blessings. All the little things we take for granted every day. Every night.
The sound of Tim’s voice reading the Bible as the girls laid in their beds. The smell of coffee being pressed in the morning. The expectation to meet together on the front porch and pray and dream.
The enemy says he comes to steal, kill, and destroy.
I reason that his thievery has often left me wasting my time on those things in life that do not matter in the long run.
The numerous times Tim has asked me to come sit in the office with him and read a book aloud, but I opted instead for the comfort of my bed and television. Moments I sacrificed with those I love because I allowed my spirit to be stressed and rankled by the worries of the day.
As I left the girls that night, I went outside on my porch and spent some time in contemplation of things I wanted to do differently when Tim returned.
As the clock crept towards midnight, I was literally walking the floors. Over 48 hours since I had heard anything from him.
I sat down and desperately asked the Lord for a message from him. I don’t think ten minutes passed by and I checked my phone (for the hundredth time that day) and there was a text. From Tim. He had just landed in Kathmandu. All was well.
And so I’m reminded again as Tim returns from another wilderness trip just how precious life is.
Life can be stolen from us, bit by bit, piece by piece, if we let it.
We allow things that have no eternal value to consume our time and too often neglect those treasures we have been entrusted with.
We opt for “rest” in front of our devices rather than rejuvenation in communion with our family. Or, we allow fear to drain the life out of us. We let anxiety sink its talons in our heart, and the peace of God no longer rules our minds.
Proverbs makes clear that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. But too often we let fear of man, fear of our circumstances, fear of the unknown control our minds. When we do this, the fear of the Lord no longer rules our hearts .
“Who are you to fear man when your Father is the Maker of heaven and earth?” (Isaiah 51:12-13)
Fear steals life away. It drains our energy, causing us to falter in our faith. It detracts from wisdom.
The enemy seeks to destroy our relationships with those closest to us by making us content with lesser things.
Sometimes it takes a trip across the world and some radio silence to open one’s eyes to the way life is being stolen away from us.
I want to live life aware of the decisions I daily make which deplete life little by little.
The abundant life is the life most full. We are the ones living life, and we best make the most of the one life we have been given.
Take a moment today to explore your little one’s painting in greater detail, examining the awe of the Creator’s handiwork in their little hands. Spend time reading aloud a book together as a family after dinner. Rest in the Maker of heaven and earth who vanquishes every fear that tries to steal life away.
All is well with Him.
If you’d like to join Tim and I on our own little adventure this summer, we’d love to have you at the Foraged Beauty Live Art Workshop in Greenville, NC. Here’s a snippet of what we will be sharing together:
Long Table Gathering (Welcome Dinner)
Foraging the Local Greenway
Mixed Media Journaling
European Picnic
Creating loose landscapes on paper and canvas
Sharing special desserts together
Commonplace journaling
Stealing Life Away
Oh how true Chris! Great article. I need to ponder a lot more on this one.
Great article. It reminded me of a time when the absence of someone very dear may have turned into a tragedy - they do happen - and it did cause me great stress to the point of desperation. But God graced me with the assurance that even if what I feared would happen, He still held my life in His hands and I would survive and still live an abundant life. It was a life-changer for me. All turned out well in this instance. And it always will, no matter what happens. But reminders are always needed. Thank you. .