Live Simply In God

We recently returned ten days in Hilton Head, South Carolina.  I was blessed to have time to refresh, relax, and reconnect with the things that matter most to me:  God and my family.  Yes, I was excited to visit new places and make memories.  But I was also hoping to find that inner balance that I desperately need to be able to seek God in every moment.  Instead of seeking the next item on my to do list or figuring out the next thing I need to do for someone else. I am so often blinded by who I think I need to be and what I think I need to achieve. I complicate my living at the expense of the simplicity of a life lived for God.

We were blessed to stay in a planned community with lagoons and trails for biking and walking.  There were three shopping/restaurant areas we could access with a short bike ride.  And the beach was a 10-minute walk.  All the makings for slowing down.  So, I did.

I meandered.  I rested.  I laughed.  I sat with God.  I sat with my family.  And I sat with myself.

I watched the waves roll in and out.  Reminding me that my life is no different.  There are ebbs and flows.  High tides and low tides.  And in every gentle wave that rolled over my toes, I remembered that my God walks with me.  His love washes over me in every season.  “He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them – He remains faithful forever.”  (Psalm 146:6)

I biked with my family on beautiful trails surrounded by lush greenery. We crossed over lagoons, twisting and turning through patches of flowers, trees, and quiet enclaves. For someone like me, it would be easy to get lost. I am – a bit – directionally challenged. So, I followed behind; letting others take the lead. These rides reminded me that God has laid out the path of my life. And, while I’ve gotten lost more times than I’d like to admit, He is the master navigator. I just need to ask for directions. “Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me. For you are God, my Savior and my hope is in you all day long.” (Psalm 25:4-5)

I cooked alongside my daughter and saw the fruits of lessons that I’ve been teaching her since she was little.  Her joy as she prepares food to share with the people she loves most.  And in the process, giving me rest as well as nourishment.  “I am the bread of life: he that comes to me shall never hunger, and he that believes in me shall never thirst.”  (John 6:35).  In those moments around the dinner table, my heart was as full as my stomach.

I sat each morning overlooking the lagoon.  My mushroom coffee in one hand, my devotional and scripture prayers in the other.  I was typically the first one up.  The quiet of the morning is always a place of peace for me.  A time when I feel connected; my time with the Father before my day begins.  It’s a routine I have at home, but somehow, in the warmth of the South Carolina sun, with no expectations or responsibilities tugging at my thoughts, I settle in.  “He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10).  I’ve always loved the truth of this verse.  Still doesn’t mean “don’t move.”  The phrase “be still” uses a Hebrew term which can be rendered as “relax,” “let go,” or “stop.” It implies an act of surrender—a release of striving and hostility. 

And maybe that’s the perfect way to sum up what that time in Hilton Head was for me.  A time to surrender.  A time to release my striving.  A time to release the hostility that builds up inside of me when faced with the evil and realities of our world.  A reminder that my rest is not found in this world, but when my heart is settled and focused on the spiritual.  

God gently nudged my tired and weary heart and mind, “Rhonda, I am everywhere.  You must seek me.  You must see this world, through My eyes.”

For in the mundane of everyday life, His blessings are ever present.  In the house that needs cleaned, He has provided shelter.  In the dinner being prepared, He has provided sustenance.  In the laundry that needs done, He has clothed me.  In the demands of work, He offers financial stability.  

And in the simple breathing in and out, He gives me life.  A life I too often complicate with selfish desires, entitled expectations, and the pursuit of worldly success and acknowledgement.  

I’m home now.  Vacation is over.  The Hilton Head sweatshirt, a souvenir tradition, hangs in the closet.  But this vacation, I brought home something far more meaningful.  A peace that comes from remembering that my best life.  My designed life.  My generous life.  That comes from living simply in the loving arms of my Father.  

And that, my brothers and sisters, I can do anywhere.