This Weekend's Gift

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
-2 Corinthians 9:15


I seem to be having an out of body experience. Physically, I’m at my apartment, charged from a run and preparing for the rest of the afternoon. Mentally, however, I am sitting on a dock, looking out at a sparkling blue bay that eventually turns into the vast currents of Lake Michigan. There are sunrays staining my skin and two swans gliding through the water on the other end of the bay. The wind is singing gently through the tall grass, which sways to the tune.

There is great mystery in the music of the island, a lifestyle straight out of a movie no one believes until they experience it themselves. This weekend, I was taken captive by its magic. A friend of mine lives on Washington Island, this picturesque place in Door County you can only access by ferry boat. It’s the kind of world where everyone knows everyone, where you see someone working in one of the local restaurants, the kind that have lights strung around the room and carved wooden seats, and they ask how your family is doing. You carry on a conversation throughout your meal, and then you see them singing in the church choir the next day. Regulars who visit for the weekend or week make friendships with each other and swap stories of old, peppered with relatives who first inhabited the island. And when they depart to their lives on the mainland, there is much laughter and hugs and arms outstretched through the window in final farewell.

It’s the land of winding roads, twisting through open fields and between thickets of trees, the blue of the lake dancing around branches. Driving in the cab of my friend’s truck, knees tucked under my chin and the hum of guitar breezing through the stereo, I watched this world roll on before me while our other friend spoke of God’s beauty in the seat behind me.

We were on an exploration, a great adventure across the island and I imagined myself there, at the end of our journey, curled up on the smooth lime stones at the beach, galaxies of stars above me, deliriously happy.

And that night, as the Northern Lights twirled and stretched to Heaven, I was.

My weekend was a gift. A dreamy delight wrapped in sun and stars and crystal blues, handed to me by God. He watched me smile the whole time, the marvel in my heart and the soothing of my soul that I so desperately needed. He saw my happiness and took great joy in my revelry. This trip was where I felt God’s presence most prevalent, where each morning I sat out on the pier and quieted myself in the silence, and I thanked Him for this breathtaking treasure hunt He brought me on.

He longs to speak to you, too. To give you a personal gift that fits into the perfect spot in your heart. He wants to see you smile, see you joyfully overflowing in awe and thankfulness for the special time the two of you spend together. He wants you happy, He wants to find something that will make you feel alive, feel rested, feel completely wrapped up in a beautiful dream. You can have Him in your heart, you can listen for the quiet words He whispers when you think you’re crossed in static. And you can see the tiny, stolen moments of beauty as a present from the One through whom all gifts are made. Open up this gift, Beloved. See how it’s exactly what you’ve always wanted.

Prayer:
Father, I thank You that You take care of me and know exactly what I need, when I need it. Thank You that You restore my soul and surprise me with beauty beyond anything I could have imagined. Let me look for those magic moments when You reveal Yourself to me, and when they come my way, let me hold them lovingly in my hand and never let them go. Amen.