souldare

For with God nothing shall be impossible. (Luke 1:37)

Every ADVENTure includes ordinary, gray days.

Wait, it’s not supposed to rain on my ADVENTure! But it is raining and I have a headache and I spilled wet coffee grounds down the cabinet door and inside that door and onto the floor. Coffee grounds everywhere.

Not my plan for the day. I thought today, I would soak up some of that Florida sunshine. But the Lord sent rain.

So I have a choice. Complain or rejoice. My human nature wants to complain, but the Spirit encourages me to rejoice in the Lord, not the weather outside my door. (I’m not going to say that I haven’t whined and pouted a little bit this morning. However, I’m adjusting my expectations.)

Reality is that every ADVENTure gives us glorious moments and ordinary ones and even pain filled moments.

Even on a romantic boat trip the dishes stack up, the cabin needs to be cleaned, the dog wants to go for a walk and headaches cause you to go back to bed. And messes are made.

It would be easy to romanticize Mary and Elizabeth, as they patiently wait for their babies to be born. We could imagine them discussing Scripture by an open fire or walking arm and arm to the community well. Each one definitely had a lot to ponder about the timing of their pregnancies and the importance of each child.

But in the meantime, as their bellies swelled with life did their feet swell, too? Did they experience the nausea of the first trimester? Were they knitting, weaving or hand sewing the expected child’s layette? Did they still have to make meals, draw water from the well and keep their homes clean? Did it rain, when they wanted to just sit outside and soak up the warm rays of the sun?

I imagine they faced the reality of mundane chores and challenges, just like you and me. And that they marvelled over the mystery of Holy Spirit conceptions and ordained births, just like you and me.

Where do you like to live the most: reality or mystery?

Real photos of our ADVENTure here over the past few days: