Hawaii, Home Emergencies, and God's Faithfulness
In all circumstances, even when it’s hard, even when I don’t want to, I must choose to give thanks.
This was originally supposed to be about finding God’s warmth in the midst of a spiritual winter . . . but then a home emergency reminded me that God never changes, and that gratitude is always important.
Recently, I went on vacation to the beautiful Big Island of Hawaii. This trip had been planned for many months, and it came at a wonderful time. In the middle of cold and dreary January, I got to experience the island sunshine and warmth. Every day was beautiful.
It was a week full of friends, shave ice, sandy toes, local fish, and ocean air. There were slow mornings drinking Kona coffee, many board games, and lots of reading for fun. At the end of the week, with a rejuvenated, yet sad that the trip was ending heart, I boarded the plane home to the cold Pacific Northwest.
I planned to center this devotion on how visiting a tropical place in the middle of winter is like looking for God’s warmth in a spiritual winter. Lately, I have felt like I have been in a spiritual winter. Life’s circumstances have been difficult recently, and sometimes it is hard to feel and recognize the warm gaze of my Creator.
I know He’s there, waiting patiently for me to tell Him about my trials. However, I had been struggling to feel His warmth.
Then, I came home to an emergency.
When I returned to my home after a week in island paradise, my husband and I found a water leak that had caused extensive water damage to our basement. Carpets were soaked, the ceiling was bulging, walls were wet, and things did not look good.
Why did this have to happen while I was gone? What’s going to happen to the house?So many thoughts were swirling through my head.
In 48 hours, I went from sitting in a beach chair in the warm sun of an island paradise, to standing in a water damaged, cold basement.
My circumstances had drastically changed.
But, God hadn’t.
Coming home from vacation to a water damaged house is stressful, no doubt. This situation reminded me just how blessed I am to own a home, and that at any moment, something could happen.
And while I am not a huge fan of the phrase “it could be worse”, this situation was fixable. My entire basement had not flooded. My house had not caught on fire. A tornado had not come through and destroyed everything. Rather, a large leak caused water damage that was, inconvenient, but fixable.
In the midst of all of this, I was reminded that God never changes.
Even though my circumstances change, even though I change, I sin, I fall and get back up again. . .
He doesn’t.
The same God who sat with me on the sunny beach in Hawaii stood with me in my cold, water damaged basement. The same God who sits with me when I cry and rejoices when I succeed continues to be present with me. It is my choice when I choose to praise Him.
I could only turn to Him in the happiness of my life, like sitting on a warm beach in Hawaii. When things are going my way, I could choose to talk to Him only then.
Yet, I am called to praise Him always.
The first letter to the Thessalonians reminds us:
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances;” - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NRSV-CE
In all circumstances, even when it’s hard, even when I don’t want to, I must choose to give thanks.
He is the Author of all. He is my Creator. I have so much to be grateful for.
From the beaches of Hawaii, to cold, waterlogged basements, He is faithful.
He never changes. He is consistent. He can be trusted.
In Christ,