Away for the Holidays
The scene was set. Christmas on Galveston Island. Our decorated RV across the street from the Gulf of Mexico. If we weren’t going to be with friends and family for the holidays, this was the next best thing, right?
When we arrived the Tuesday before Christmas, we were very excited to see our third view of the Gulf of Mexico. We had been to the east side in Florida, the north side in Alabama, and now the west side. All different from the other. Florida with soft beaches, Alabama with softer beaches, and the beaches of Galveston, just right. Not really. The beaches were very firm. Part of the reason must be the fact that you can drive your vehicle, or RV, on the beach. And we did just that – well not the RV part.
Believe it or not, of all the times we were on the Gulf of Mexico, we never saw a sunset. This time we made sure to see that and the sunrise too! It is as breath taking as you would image.
After a few days of exploring, Christmas Eve arrived. That is when our moods changed. A sense of emptiness filled our hearts and minds. We felt the loneliest we have felt since this journey started. We had set a beautiful scene to make our holidays bright, but it seemed we felt nothing but darkness.
Christmas day didn’t look much different. We woke early to be on the beach for the sunrise, cooked a big breakfast, and a ham dinner. We even video chatted with family. It helped but we just couldn’t shake the sadness. We looked around the RV park at other full-time RVers. It was quiet. How do they celebrate the holiday? Do they have family in the area? Did family come visit them? Did a group of friends get together with their RVs and celebrate together? Were we the only ones sad?
I started questioning what this RV life is supposed to look like. It sounds so glamourous. Traveling to any destination we want. But the reality is, it isn’t always the excitement you would expect. We are not always able to visit the attractions that cost money, we are not able to shop and get a new t-shirt from every location, we are not always able try the local food, we are not able to exchange gifts on Christmas morning.
The truth is none of that is important. Our mission is to serve God. Our journey is to focus on serving the needs of others. That is when we find true joy.
It reminds me of the story of the apostles in the Bible. Of the twelve, John, James, Peter, and Andrew were fishing when Jesus asked each of them to follow Him. Imagine this, much like the Gulf of Mexico, the Sea of Galilee was a big fishing industry. These men fished as a career. It was their skill, their business, and their income.
They were asked by Jesus to give up all of that and follow Him. Although the Bible doesn’t state the details, I would imagine there was some level of concern in walking away from their job, giving up everything they own, and a sadness in leaving their family. But they went, without question. In fact, the Bible states “At once they (Peter and Andrew) left their nets and followed Him” {Matthew 4:20}. John and James “immediately left the boat and their father and followed Him” {Matthew 4:22}.
They left a life they knew much like Jim and I did. It brings comfort to me to know the first followers of Jesus were a lot like us.
As we experienced Christmas this year and the sadness we were feeling, we took our eyes off Jesus and looked at our circumstances. We looked at what we were missing instead of what He has given us – an opportunity to follow Him. We were celebrating a holiday that is all about Jesus and here we were struggling to celebrate because it didn’t look the way we thought it should.
If we are honest with each other, I think that happens to all of us sometimes, especially during the Christmas holiday. We have it in our mind to make the holiday look like we think it should. The parties, the new Christmas outfits, the dinners, the presents, the presents, and the presents!
We look inward instead of upward. We let our humanness take over and put God on the back burner. Even though Jim and I weren’t busy with all the normal holiday things to do, we still inadvertently put God on the back burner. We forgot to find joy in Him on this special day.
As the day went on, we finally snapped out of our pity party and turned to God in prayer. I am so thankful that little baby, born in less than stellar conditions, forgives us when we forget what His birthday is all about and we try to make it look like what we want.
I am thankful He chose us to follow Him no matter where it takes us, what it looks like, or the sacrifices we make. All that matters is we keep our eyes on Him as He continues to say, “follow me”.
Then Jesus said to his followers, “If any of you want to be my follower, you must stop thinking about yourself and what you want. You must be willing to carry the cross that is given to you for following me.”
Matthew 16:24 ERV
