What Am I Thirsty For??

If ever you begin to lose your sense of wonder just take a little boy to the ocean and experience it through his eyes. (Or anywhere outdoors, really... this is just what applies to our current living situation.) The water is magnificent and exciting; salty and surprising and every shade of turquoise imaginable. Fish dart below the surface, just out of reach, racing to and fro in their castles made of coral. Crabs skitter along the rocks, daring us to catch them.
And when we are out deep, just us and our paddle boards, we can be anything; explorers seeking a new land, oceanographers charting the high seas, pirates in search of treasure. We had a whole pod of dolphins surface around us this last week and it was incredible. Owen knows about them from the picture books, but this was his first time seeing the real deal and they gave him quite a show.

What I find fascinating is how the little man could be in/at the water all day everyday and it doesn't lose its thrill! We literally have to drag him away from it. And he wakes up in the morning requesting 'Simming!' 'Jump in?' 'Padda boadin?!' What an experience this is for him, for us! We are definitely taking advantage of our proximity to the sea and I hope that, like Owen, I won't let myself begin to take it for granted. Unfortunately, I think it's human nature. I spent 20 years of my life nestled in the base of a majestic mountain range and I had no idea how awesome it was! Wherever we go we grow accustomed to our surroundings and eventually the magic fades.
But my son doesn't know this yet and I'm so thankful. The ocean has as much to offer him today as it did yesterday. What if I could see life like that? What if I woke up ready to jump in and swim? What if the wonder didn't have to fade? I'll be completely honest with you; I'm almost always thirsty for adventure, for a new experience, for something more.

I have a sweet friend that is keeping me accountable to get up in the mornings and start my day with Psalms and praying. It is so good for me. Last week she had a new idea, one that was simple and yet loaded with potential. The two of us have been saying a simple prayer every time we drink water. 'Jesus, work in my heart. Work deeply within me.' That's it. But when those words come out of your mouth twenty, thirty, fifty times a day (depending on how camel-like I'm feeling)... that's big.
And now I can't get away from this idea of thirsting for Jesus, it's everywhere I look. One of my devotions last week was on the Samaritan woman at the well and did you know she kept dipping her bucket in water that couldn't satisfy? Life had lost its wonder. But Jesus comes along and said she should have asked HIM for water and He would have given her living water! [John 4:10]

Maybe that's the point. This world will always leave us thirsty. And life's beauties, no matter how grandiose, will inevitably lose a bit of their wonder. Maybe it's not about discovering a secret way to keep everything magical, maybe it's not even bad that I long for so much more... maybe it's simply that I'm thirsting for the wrong water.
I keep dipping my bucket in all these different wells when Jesus has abundantly more to offer. In John 4:13 He told that sweet, thirsty woman, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." Woah. That is the liquid I need. As the 'SheReadsTruth' devotional put it, "Only Jesus can quench our soul-deep thirst'. And while I love my son's sense of wonder I know that, unfortunately, he will not always be so easily awed or entertained. And that's okay, because we will point him to the only Source that can satisfy.

The journey continued as I opened my Bible the next morning to Psalm 42 and the first two verses were pointed directly at me. 'As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?' Is that what kind of thirsty I am? Do I really truly believe that He is my lifeline. Do I know, in the same way animals know their absolute dependence on water, that it is vital I fill up on Jesus every single day or I won't survive? Staying really hydrated today does not let me off the hook for tomorrow!
And I don't have it all figured out, obviously. I may be a pipe-dream-chaser for all my days. But as I journey through these days I know I need to be filling myself with water that quenches, water that wells up into eternal life. Because there will be times when life loses it's thrill; we will pass through especially dry seasons and the only One that never loses His wonder is Jesus. May He be the water we thirst for. May we dive ever deeper into the abundance He offers..

Life Update && A Train Wreck of Emotions

Time spirals by so quickly. After spending two weeks short of a YEAR in a beautiful house up in the clouds, that home is selling and we have completed yet another move. We are now right on the water and adjusting to a bit more heat, humidity and bugs. But, oh, is it beautiful. And being able to paddle board or swim before breakfast is a dream come true.
Owen is growing at the speed of light and talking in three to four word sentences. His sense of humor is fantastic and he's started quoting movie lines out of the blue. Seriously funny stuff. The latest bit of hilarity came after watching the Jungle Book; I heard him saying in sing-song voice, 'Truss iiin meee' the song that the snake, Kaa, sings in attempts to hypnotize Mowgli. I laughed until I cried, (but maybe you had to be there...?) Anyway, it's safe to say that we love our days with this little man and there is never a dull moment.
We're working hard on teaching Owen swimming skills. With the ocean in our front yard, it's nothing to mess around about. But he is a quick study and has always loved water. He goes out paddle boarding with us now and loves to dangle his hands in the water and name all the ocean creatures he knows. He also 'swims' back and forth between us as Derek and I tread water, and he's pretty sure that's the best thing ever!

(Owen is loving the new front yard.) 

Derek is working hard and continually growing his business. I'm very proud to be married to such an inventive man. In his free time he's taken up wood working and is creating gorgeous benches, chairs and tables out of the different tree stumps he cuts down. I'm not sure that there's anything (other than diaper changing or laundry folding) that this man can't master. It is a privilege to walk through life next to him.
I am still working three days a week as our church secretary and taking Owen with me, which is quite the learning experience for both of us. I also oversee a vacation rental property (one of the last houses we lived in) and keep things running as smoothly as possible on that front. I'm in search of 'balance' because as much as I love being out and about, accomplishing a bit more and bringing home a paycheck, I do miss the stay-at-home mom days. Ahh, the seasons of life! Anyone else guilty of wanting whatever it is they don't have right at that moment??

Life is such a journey. We take it one day at a time because that is all we truly have. My heart is growing a bit weary of care-taking life, silly as that may be, and so I've been dealing with mixed emotions as we transition yet again. It's hard to live an unknown (although that's really what all of life is). We might be here a few months... maybe more, maybe less. And I need to be okay with that.
We have a gorgeous house to live in for now and yet I long for a place of our own. I'm abundantly grateful for all the work opportunities I have right now and yet I'm exhausted and have stretched myself too thin. We are living a life that 98% of the world only dreams of experiencing and yet the missing of family (and ghastly price of airline tickets) is real and hard and a lump in my throat that I'm tired of swallowing around. See what I mean? SERIOUS mixed emotions, all over the place. This past Sunday's message spoke directly to this sore spot inside of me; the one all tangled up with messy feelings.
Our pastor shared about the emotions of Jesus and showed examples throughout the gospels. He spoke of emotions not actually being a 'bad' thing but rather a mis-used tool. They do, like everything else in our lives, need to be surrendered to God and I think that's where I've been messing up. I say 'Here's my heart, God. Here's my days. Here's my hopes and fears. Take my life.' But then I go through life with this train-wreck of emotions on my plate and they're MY emotions and I need to deal with them and they're sucking me under while God is calling out, 'GIVE THEM TO ME, Daughter!' They don't have to run this show.

Think how our days could change if our emotions were in line with the emotions of the Creator! What if our hearts, instead of being caught up in the trivial and pety, only broke over what breaks The Father's heart? What if we were excited: genuine, jumping-up-and-down, STOKED about the things that Jesus gets excited about? What then? And something inside of me cracked open as I realized this tremendous burden I've been refusing to surrender. How did I ever think I was capable of wrestling this beast on my own, anyway? I also got excited about the potential within me, if only I can line up this mess of feelings with His will and His heart!
I woke up the next morning and my devotion was on the hymn 'Come, Thou Fount'. What a beautiful song. The line that stuck with me as I tried to do this week with a different outlook was, 'Tune my heart to sing Thy grace' That word 'tune', as a verb, is defined as 'adjusting (a musical instrument) to the correct or uniform pitch' and 'adjusting.. to the frequency of the required signal.' I'm the one that's singing the wrong tune (or not singing at all, somedays) and Jesus desperately wants my heart on the same frequency as His. Tune my heart to the signal of heaven, Jesus; to an eternity with You. It is there, and only there, that my heart will be truly satisfied and all these restless wanderings will cease.
And as I live out my days on this earth, there are 'streams of grace' found in Him, and an overflowing joy and passion for things that truly matter. May we line our emotions up with Him and let Jesus transform our outlook, filling us with the peace of God, 'which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.' (Philippians 4:7 NLT)
And I have to leave you with just a bit more of that amazing song..

Oh, to grace how great a debtor

Daily I'm constrained to be,

Let that grace now like a fetter

Bind my wandering heart to Thee:

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,

Prone to leave the God I love.

Here's my heart, oh, take and seal it,

Seal it for Thy courts above.

{Robert Robinson 1735-1790}

A Hundred Small Things

Raising a little man is a wild ride, no doubt about that! It is also a fantastic adventure. In the past few days these words have come out of my mouth.... and I was 100% serious.
'Is that a noodle in your nose?'
'Please don't lick the bottom of Mommy's shoe..'
'Next time you find dog poop.... just leave it.'
I also found an excavator fridge magnet in the back pocket of my shorts (instead of the cash I was digging for..) and two crayons sticking out of the other pocket. Those lovely orange shades of Crayola are also, unfortunately, now melted to the front seat of my jeep.
I hear myself quoting Derek's mom on a regular basis. The most recent use of her terminology was delivered to an overly concerned mother after she noticed my son's scraped toe. She didn't seem very impressed when I replied, 'Oh, that's actually the first time he's bled today so we are doing good!' And although Owen has entered the rough, tough, constantly-needing-a-bandaid phase.. Derek didn't get the memo that he should be making his exit from that very same department!? If it's not the mini-man bleeding, it's definitely his father.
There is literally never a dull moment. But who would want that?

Being married consists of this same collision; part wild ride, part fantastic adventure all tangled up in the daily humdrum of life. We make hard decisions, we laugh about a bit of silliness that only the two of us understand. We play, we work, we carry each other when the road is rough. It's a journey, one that I wouldn't trade for anything else in the whole, wide world. But I will admit to occasionally wondering when it will be my turn to do something 'big' in this life. My bucket list is long!
I recently read some powerful words that have settled quite deeply into my heart. In true scatter brained, mother-of-a-wild-man form, I can not locate the actual quote and feel terrible for not giving credit to the person behind this insight. But it was something along the lines of 'I used to dream of the BIG thing I would do to have a powerful impact and be life-changing. Now I realize that the difference I get to make in this world will not come in the form of one big thing but rather a hundred small things.' Woah.

A hundred small boo-boos kissed, diapers changed, peanut butter sandwiches lovingly made. A hundred different love notes stuck on the inside of that lunch box or sore muscles rubbed as a hundred busy days come to an end. Can I truly revolutionize the world one bike ride at a time, one candle lit, one more time explaining why we don't write on our arms? Could this be my breath of fresh air, my permission to give fully right now because, as it turns out, the powerful impact I get to have in this world may be intertwined with all these mundane moments? This season is not the in-between.
Today, right now, as we pay taxes and wade through insurance policies, doing life together and cleaning one more scraped elbow and sitting down for a minute to just watch the sunset, I can be utterly alive because this is the essence of a life well lived: A hundred small things.  Could it be that rather than the few mountaintop experiences I long for, it is truly the hundred small things that make this journey extraordinary?

Derek says I've been a wanderer ever since he met me. Gypsy at heart; I crave the next adventure. I'm ALL about what's next. So as we recently reached the three year mark of our journey here on the Big Island of Hawaii, I was wrestling with a serious case of what I call RHS: restless heart syndrome. It's not that I don't absolutely love our life here; you'd have to be out of your mind not to! But the struggle is real and my spirit becomes heavy and I desperately need to know what is next. As I wade through emotions in attempts to uncover the heart of this matter, though, I keep coming back to contentment.

Jim Elliot said 'Wherever you are, be all there!' And in Philippians 4:12-13, Paul says he has 'learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.' Neither of these men seemed to think that you need be anywhere but in that moment, fully dependent on the One who gives you your next breath. Jesus himself, in the Sermon on the Mount, posed this question, 'Who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?' [Matthew 6:27]

No, I don't know 'what's next'. Yes, I may always long for the mission trips to third-world countries and more para-gliding excursions to take my breath away. But while these experiences are highlights and make me feel so very 'alive', they are temporary and I know that there has to be something more. I want to feel fully alive every day, as I grill cheese sandwiches to perfection or sit in the sand with Derek and watch the sun sink low. 

I'm realizing that the secret to contentment is made up of a few ingredients. I believe it includes a deep confidence in God and the faithfulness of His promises to us. It also stems from embracing whatever season He has placed you in. The different chapters of your journey may not always seem as vital as others; you may not feel like a game changer as you fold that hundredth load of laundry. But, trust me, it matters. Your life matters!
And those hundred small things, should you choose to do them, will change the lives of those around you. Do not ever underestimate the effects of your actions and how far they will reach. May we refuse to get so caught up in the grandiose and the exotic and a desperate need for a new adventure that we miss the absolute splendor of living fully in the only moment we truly have; right now, changing the world through a hundred small things. 

'Your life.. and what you do with it today.. matters forever.'  -Andy Andrews

Tuning in!

Finding a quality radio station on this island is easier said than done. Seriously. Since moving over here I've become a quasi-country music fan because, honestly, it's that or Mr. Bieber and I can NOT stomach the latter. There is one christian radio station but it tends to be half static except for right in front of our house. This is.. admittedly strange.
But I've recently realized that if I tune in to that station before leaving the driveway, the connection will hold almost all the way to my part-time secretary job (or Target.. let's face it, I'm usually driving to Target). If, however, I don't think of it until I'm turning on to the highway, my chances of tuning in to a static-free station drop dramatically and I usually end up bouncing back to the good ol' home-grown, small town, 'whiskey in my water' crooning. (And don't get me wrong... it's grown on me and you better believe I'm singing along!)

But what if this applies to more than just a radio station preference? What if tuning in right at the beginning can really make such a noticeable difference in the entire ride? Could I set my alarm just a few minutes earlier? (Okay, I shouldn't actually let you assume that I set my alarm at all. I wake up when Owen starts knocking on the wall that separates our bedrooms, requesting 'Food! Oats!' Hitting the 'snooze' simply changes his tune to, 'MOOOOMM! WAKUP!') But what if I took time to actually prepare myself spiritually, mentally, physically (maybe even put deodorant on!) before the business of a new day began?
Our days are a beautiful kind of crazy.  But the fact remains; when I'm not prepared for all that needs to be accomplished before nightfall, I'm going to be limping in at the end of the race. What if I refused to succumb to the attitude of 'Well, there's no time for my devotion again this morning..' falling back into what is 'easy' or static free but will ultimately leave me feeling even more depleted.
I know that you're busy, dear reader! We all are. It doesn't matter what different path we are each walking; it's human nature to fill our days chock full and then wonder why we're stressed out and exhausted. But we could start small. It can be simple! Maybe it's committing to a quick prayer before your feet hit the ground. Do some stretches while you brush your teeth. Read a chapter of the Bible while the coffee brews. Just a few forms of 'tuning in' that I've been trying to implement as I realize the substantial impact of these 'small' practices. Whatever form it may take, let's start tuning in..

Throwing Out Score Cards

'Love...keeps no record of wrongs.' I read that this morning, along with the rest of 1 Corinthians 13, over hash browns and fried eggs with my boys. It caught me off guard, though. It keeps no record of wrongs. Really, not a single record? And all these pieces came clashing together as I finally found words for these unclassified emotions I've been battling.

See, I do keep record. It is, for the most part, unintentional; a simple tallying throughout my days. I believe it's human nature. We feel that we are entitled to certain 'rights' and when those happen to be forgotten, violated or taken for granted, we take offence; filing away that discrepancy for future reference. For us parents it can be as simple as the number of times we got up with the baby during the night. Obviously, it was more than our significant other, which should guarantee our receiving that last cup of coffee. Or maybe it's the number of 'blow outs' changed on our watch.. I always win that round.
But Paul says that love keeps no record. Not a single tally mark?
What about the amount of time spent on various interests, passions and hobbies? I know how often my husband goes surfing when the swell is up and I know exactly how many times I've been able to go snorkelling in the past YEAR. The numbers do not add up. This could swing the other way, however. There is definitely one person in this family that works day in and day out to bring home the bacon while another member spends the majority of her days playing with finger paint, singing silly songs and 'hunting' for chickens with the mini-man. That certainly doesn't add up, but my husband doesn't complain and I am humbled at this realization. Love is never fair.
That is the beauty of relationship and marriage, of nitty-gritty love. It's not fair and the numbers are off and we're all undeserving in countless areas but somehow love can override all of that. There can not be a score card for love. True Love laid down His life for us when we were at our worst. That's what is so breath taking about it all! 'But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.' Romans 5:8 There is nothing 50/50 about the grace that is freely offered or the sacrifice that was made in our place. That is love. That is freedom.
And to a back-slidden, rebellious people that have forgotten the One True God, a prophet gives THIS Valentine... 'Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.' Micah 7:18-19
If anyone has the right to keep record of wrongs, it's God. Yet He is the one hurling our mistakes into the depths of the sea. What a love. He has no score card. Jesus keeps no record of wrongs. And that makes me want to shout from the roof tops, THANK YOU JESUS!! 'For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.' John 3:16-17
And to the amazing husband who loves me even when I'm unlovable, Happy Valentine's Day! I don't deserve you, but I guess that's the whole point! We are called to imitate True Love and give without expecting anything in return; I see you live this out on a daily basis and I thank you from the bottom of my heart! I am officially crumpling up these mental score cards and tally sheets and I pray that you readers will, too! May we commit to living life with deliberate, selfless love, regardless of who's 'turn' it is or whether we've had a single moment of free time today. This is the way of love, this is how we are called to live and this is the way that Love will set us free. 
                                        

Pure sunshine & a sweet, sticky mess!

Confession: sometimes I feel bipolar. Yikes, I just admitted that. But after describing these feelings to Derek not only did he refrain from checking me into a mental institution, but he said 'Ya know, this sounds like a blog post.' So, maybe I should back up a little..

We were sitting outside in the morning breeze, watching Owen and Kai chase each other through the grass. Our little boy is part mischief, part adventurer and pure sunshine. He has redefined so much of our lives and we can't imagine a day without this silly, wiggly, little explorer. But as Derek and I basked in the moment I was reminded of the mess that transpired just an hour before: the box of cereal taken out of the cupboard when my back was turned and the frustration felt upon discovering the entire contents dumped out on to the living room floor.  

This cereal episode was not a big deal, in and of itself, but messes of this proportion seem to be the new norm. Yesterday it was a half gallon of juice, sticky and sweet and puddling all over the floor at my part-time office job.  The day before that it was poop... on his feet, on my leg, almost on my new pair of shorts! You get the point. It literally takes our son less than three, unsupervised seconds to create a disaster of epic proportions. And, granted, that's just par for the course with a tiny human, especially of the male variety. And sometimes we struggle to contain our laughter at the situation. But other times it is anything but funny. In fact, sometimes it's so NOT hilarious that I grit my teeth a little. (Yikes, again..)

But did I mention the JOY that this boy brings to our lives? He waves hello to every single clerk in the bank and gives goodnight kisses that melt your heart. He's learning to be gentle with the cat and his antics have us laughing until we cry. He scrambles up any object he can find (box, tupperware, coffee table) and as he practices balancing, he announces to all that he is 'suufinn' (surfing)! He is exceptionally smart; has a hunger for learning, discovering, running faster and climbing higher. He inspires his Daddy and I to be intentional about living, loving and appreciating the beauty surrounding us. 

The little man has his moments, though, and an attitude, to boot. He's testing us, seeing how far he can push and learning what we'll actually follow through with. It's a battle of wills and although I won't let HIM know it, there are plenty of post-battle occasions where I take refuge around the corner, hang my head for a moment and wonder how it's possible for someone so tiny to be that much more stubborn than me. 

See where these bipolar feelings come from? Or maybe I should redefine the emotions because I am, in no way, making little of mental issues that are very real for many people. I am, however, baffled by the extreme differences in my thoughts and feelings regarding life with a mini man. How is it possible to vary, within a matter of minutes, from knowing I have the best 'job' in the world and wanting to savor each moment- to fighting back tears of frustration and longing for 8pm to roll around??

This morning I was supposed to use nap time to wash windows and scrub toilets but, thankfully, got caught up in the book of Ephesians. In chapter four, Paul is reminding the church that they 'were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.' (verses 22-24)
This truth is so beautiful and mind-boggling and VITAL to our daily survival. It is literally the choice between life and death, allowing our flesh to call the shots or walking in the righteousness offered to each of us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. As Owen's mom I have the very unique opportunity to teach this truth by example, this shedding of an 'old self' and putting on of NEW. This is a daily 'dressing', choosing what I will 'put off' and 'put on', and (Yep... insert another YIKES!) my tiny son is watching and learning, whether I have my act together or not.
So, yeah... that new self sounds really nice, but the heaviness of this situation still seems totally overwhelming. The struggle is real and it's constant and the old self is hovering close to the surface as a giant fit gets thrown in the middle of the grocery store. And how am I supposed to be holy in these yucky, overwhelming situations?? How do I go about showing Owen this 'new attitude of mind' when I am bogged down, lonely and exasperated?
Thankfully, Paul goes on in chapter four with some simple instructions. 'In your anger do not sin.' 'Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry' and 'Do not give the devil a foothold.' (verses 26-27) Huge sigh of relief right here. He doesn't say that it's a sin to get frustrated with your toddler (or sweet husband or person driving incredibly slow down the highway...) Instead, he tells us how to deal with the anger and frustrations that are, apparently, inevitable: don't let them lead you into sin, don't let them fester over night and do not let the devil use them to lead you in the wrong direction.
Cereal will be spilled, feelings will be hurt and that 'old self' will beg to take over the reigns. But it's at this point that, instead of being discouraged, we can take heart! Frustration is not grounds for a psych evaluation but an opportunity to overcome. In fact, you haven't even blown it yet, simply because you feel angry. The question is what you will do next. Will we let harsh words fly, will we wound with our silence, will we use our car horn with vengeance? Or will we lean hard into Jesus and PUT ON the new self that He paid for with His life? May we be 'made new' as we take it one day at a time, dressing daily with His righteousness and holiness. May we embrace the journey of becoming more and more of who God created us to be right in the middle of these sweet, sticky messes!

Admitting I Have A Problem

Hi, my name is Bethel and I hear that the first step is admitting to having a problem.
See, I gave myself a social media 'time out' this month and it was.. enlightening. During the first three days I actually experienced withdrawals. Sounds extreme but it had genuinely become my addiction. I'd made a habit of using even just a few seconds of free time or singular moment of silence to grab my phone, open the app and quickly peruse that news feed.
Distancing myself from the 'noise', if you will, left a strange stillness in my days. After surviving the first few days of feeling hopelessly cut off from society, I began to sense a newfound freedom. I could truly be here, all here, without any pressure to describe the moment with a catchy status or posted photo.

Putting the world on mute in this way enabled my ears to discern new sounds; how Owen's laugh is changing as he grows, the intensity of crashing waves, and the sweet, comfortable quiet at the end of a day as I curl up on the couch by my best friend. Believe it or not, there is a vast difference between 'sitting together' and 'sitting together but actually being a world apart as we stare at our various mobile devices'.
Now, I'm not hating on Facebook here. Trust me, I'm excited for my 'sabbatical' to be finished; there are LOTS of baby pictures I've been missing out on and several friends that I can only stay in touch with via the internet. I'm not even saying it's a horrible sin to check your phone while in the presence of other human beings. I'm simply sharing my own experience and the realization that it can (and most likely WILL) get out of hand. Everything in moderation, right?
Maybe I'm the only one here with a Facebook issue. And maybe this isn't about smart phones or technology at all. But it is a matter of priorities. Where is my heart? We can say the right things, but where we spend our free time speaks louder than those 'right' words ever will. Whatever form our addiction comes in, it will take over our brains and relationships and the ability to simply bask in a still, quiet moment without feeling the desperate need to somehow fill it.
Tuning in to the chaos and chatter of the world can rob you of THIS moment. It isn't until we turn down the volume of outside sources that we begin to perceive the still, small voice of the only One who can give us abundant life! 'The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.' John 10:10
Here's my thought: Satan desires every square inch of our day to be filled so that we don't have time to listen for Hope and seek out Truth. The 'thief' will use whatever he can, good and bad, to keep us distracted from real life. If we are constantly entertained and stimulated and connecting and browsing.. it's easy to forget what Psalm 46:10 says: "Be still, and know that I am God." 
Seriously. It happened to me in the most 'innocent' of ways.
We each have to decide how to live this one life we're given. I'm not advocating cave man days, here. I appreciate new inventions and indoor plumbing as much as the next guy! I enjoy staying in touch with friends that live overseas and I actually believe social media can be used to glorify God. I am, however, praying that we ALL make time to sit in silence for a few moments today because there is no telling what we may actually hear! Don't strive to fill every void, either. Leave room for imagination, uninterrupted glasses of sweet tea and the stillness where we truly begin to realize that He is God. 

[zip lining over a waterfall!]

[watching fish jump with these two <3]