Only a Few More Steps

Many of you know that my 3-year-old and I travelled to Destin, Florida, last week with my husband's family.  I've always been a huge lover of both the beach and sun, but haven't had a chance to visit the ocean in 5 years.  It was such a nice vacation and a priceless opportunity to reconnect with my daughter, Addison, one-on-one.

Once I knew our trip had been finalized, I began telling her about where we were going and all the things we would get to see.  I tried my best to describe how much fun she would have playing in lots and lots of sand.  She had never seen an ocean or beach before, so I knew this would be an awesome sight for her.  The excitement and anticipation was almost more than she could stand!

The time finally came and Addison got to lay eyes on the beach for the very first time.   I sort of expected her to take off running ahead, but instead she prematurely got excited and quickly began shoveling sand into her bucket.  We were at the very edge of the sand line, with a huge beach and majestic ocean ahead of us.  She didn't understand that we hadn't fully arrived and that the best was yet to come.  When we finally coerced her to keep walking, she came to realize what we had been promising her.   Her already big blue eyes grew as large as ever as she saw the ocean for the first time. What a precious moment that was... Really wish her daddy could have been with us to see it.

As we enjoyed our time in the sunshine, I began to think about Addy's first impression of the beach. The Lord gently whispered to my heart about my own bouts of premature contentment.   I realized how often God brings us to note-worthy places and experiences along our life's journey... and how we all too quickly settle with the first glance.  We think that our first footprint in the sand is the last, neglecting to keep our heads up and eyes peeled on what the next few steps hold for us.

Taking it even a step further... I get very content in my life here on earth.  TOO content.  My eternal home in heaven is only a few proverbial steps away, but my mind gets stuck in the "sand" of earth.  I picture myself as my 3-year-old, quickly scooping meaningless treasures of earth into my perishable bucket.

It's so funny to me how the Lord gets our attention sometimes, especially in moments when we least expect it.   I hope I can remember this particular vacation for as long as possible.  Father, help my family and I to keep dreaming big and yearning for our home in heaven.   Help us to not ever miss the forest because of the trees... or miss the beautiful beach because of the sand.

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him... 1 Corinthians 2:9