withdrawing

Hapuna beach is a shallow, white sand bar on the Big Island stretching some 25 feet into perfectly clear water.  Sea turtles paddling by –close enough to touch.  Quiet.  The warmth of the sun.  The rest.  The rhythm of the ocean.

Matt actually had to talk hard for several years to get me to go to Hawaii.  It felt like such a ridiculous indulgence.  I’m not much of a sun lover.  I finally agreed to go just to honor him, believe it or not.  My do-do-do personality had no desire to lie on a beach.

Until I experienced it.  No TV.  No kids.  No to-do list.  No responsibility.  Just hours of sun and waves and enjoying being with my husband.  Relaxing on straw mats on the beach while we dreamed together about life.  Playing in the ocean.  Laughing at Matt’s first attempts to boogy board.  I long to go back there.

In Luke 5:16 we read, “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”  Away from the crowds.  Away from the needs of people.  Away from his students.  Away.

Withdrawing to spend time with God seems like a ridiculous indulgence.  Who has time to sit down with a Bible to read and pray?  But the more I withdraw from life to seek him out, the more I enjoy it and want to slip away to be with him more often. 

In “away” we find what we need to be in the people places.

A cup of coffee, a Bible, and a warm blanket on the couch on a quiet winter morning while the rest of the family sleeps –there is a Hapuna Beach for the soul.