I hesitate in sharing some pictures of our time away as a team. Sometimes facebook can lend itself to making one believe a life is beautiful and adventurous and lovely. Yes, traveling as a team was really nice (thank you for praying!). But, the pictures don’t show the difficult times of living overseas. A tear-stained pillow. A clenched jaw of frustration. A heartache beyond words.
Seeing Budapest and Bratislava was wonderful. I love being able to experience new places and see more of God’s creation in different cultures! It was great time to bond as a team and the conference was very applicable, full of wisdom, and thought-provoking. Kristin & I even got upgraded to a suite at the conference because I saw a mouse in our hotel room! All these things were great, and I thank God for them.
Coming back to Cáceres, I had the opportunity to skype into my nephew’s 2nd birthday party and see videos and pictures too. I’m so thankful for technology in times like that! But it also makes the pain more real. I see what I’m missing. I see who I am missing. And that hurts.
Lying in bed Sunday morning and thinking about the joys of travel and Budapest compared to the heartache of not being with family, not being home. And it doesn’t compare. It’s not worth it. Whatever things of this world that make life here enjoyable, they don’t come close in comparison to being with family.
However, Jesus is worth it. Jesus is worth the tears and the heartache. Jesus is the only thing worth living for. So while traveling and life in Europe does have its perks, I know that it doesn’t satisfy. The hole in my heart that aches for my family and home isn’t filled by that. But I serve a God who can supply all of my needs, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else than right where He has me.
I’m thankful to be His. I’m thankful He is good. I’m thankful He blesses us with good things. I share this not looking for sympathy but wanting to share reality. I want to share pictures of God’s beauty but also what is real. I hope that you too, wherever you are and whatever difficulty you are facing, can find that Jesus is enough. Jesus is worth it.
