The Exotic Life
"Is this real life?" I asked with excitement as we rode the cruiser bikes across the island to pick up sodas at the local supermarket. The sun was out, it was 70 degrees, and my wind was gently blowing a salty sea breeze in my face. I felt like I was in the movies, just dawdling around the beach town with nothing to do except head to the beach to sip my blueberry pomegranate soda and feel the sand beneath bare feet.
"I can't believe you guys live here! It feels like vacation all the time!"
My friend and her family live on an island between a river to the west and the ocean to the east - perfect for watching both sunrises and sunsets. Only about 2/3 mile wide, the island hosts a friendly beach town where you will see all sorts of people walking, jogging, biking, surfing, fishing, or just hanging out. I guess they have to drive to work and run errands and carry on business, too, but it just looks like fun all the time to me.
My first day here, I took a nice long jog on the beach. I followed the shiny line that the waves make when they lick the shore, and I looked back occasionally to see the curvy line of footprints that I left in the freshly wet sand. Every once in a while, a big wave would sweep in and soak me up to my thighs, and I would high-knee it through until the wave retreated, laughing out loud and automatically labeling myself as a tourist.
When I returned from my run, my friend and her family had other plans that left me at the house by myself, so I packed a dinner and rode one of the bikes down to a pier overlooking the river. I dangled my feet over the pier, read my Bible, and had a romantic date with Jesus as I watched the sun set and make colors dance on the water.
The next day, we took kayaks out onto the river and roamed among the islands looking for adventure. I let the cool water run down my paddle and drip into my lap as I rowed, and I loved every minute of it.
Then today, I started the day with another jog, only this time I went back to the pier, and it sprinkled beach-flavored rain on me on the way there. Although it may seem strange, I absolutely love running in the rain. I played "God's Great Dance Floor" on my ipod and, after making sure no one was watching, danced on the end of the pier.
We ate enormous burritos at a local burrito stand that was covered in surf board stickers. Then we spent the afternoon paddle-boarding, canoeing, and manatee-searching. I finally saw my first manatee in the wild today, and for those of you back in Arkansas who are wondering if manatees are real, they do exist and they look like giant swimming potatoes.
"I just can't believe that you guys live here!" I have said to my friend and her family several times. "It feels so exotic!" And they do love living here, but it doesn't feel so fascinatingly exotic to them when they wake up every morning. It is kind of normal. It is where they work and go to school and grocery shop. Even the most exotic lifestyle can become monotonous if you get used to it.
It makes me wonder - what do I miss everyday because I am just used to it?
The sun sets beautifully over Little Rock just like it does here in Melbourne Beach. How many days do I miss it - or just glance at it and pass on by the miracle?
And think about the stars. Someone once told me if the stars came out only once a year, everyone would stay up all night to watch them. Yet we hardly take time to notice them now. The exotic can indeed become mundane.
The daffodils bloom one at a time every spring, and snowflakes daintily fall every winter as fires dance in living room fireplaces. Hummingbirds come out when the honeysuckle does and crickets chirp on summer nights.
We can't miss these things. They are the miracles and wonders that should make us joyfully exclaim, "Is this real life?" We live an exotic life where seasons change and the clouds are always different and you never know what the weather is really going to be like.
And really, when I think about the exotic life, it doesn't get any better than knowing Christ. The Christian life is an exciting, adventurous, exotic lifestyle.
Just think - to open God's Word knowing and expecting God to speak truth directly to out hearts. To meet with a church family that is really part of a body that exists all around the globe and is unified through the belief in Jesus - that's amazing. How can we ever get used to that? And we have the gift of lifting up prayers and praises to a Holy and Sovereign King because we have immediate access to Him through Christ. We must ask, "Is this really real life?"
Just for today, don't let the exotic become monotonous. Don't let the amazement turn mundane. Look around and see something more - see the footprints in the sand and the shapes in the clouds, taste the flavor of the breeze, hear the voices of the people you love, and feel the intimate presence of an infinite God. We sinners don't deserve any access to Him or His gifts, but through the beautiful grace of the Father expressed through the sacrifice of Jesus, we can both know Him personally and see His glory through the miracles that we tend to label as mundane. Don't miss this; we truly live an exotic life.
"I can't believe you guys live here! It feels like vacation all the time!"
My friend and her family live on an island between a river to the west and the ocean to the east - perfect for watching both sunrises and sunsets. Only about 2/3 mile wide, the island hosts a friendly beach town where you will see all sorts of people walking, jogging, biking, surfing, fishing, or just hanging out. I guess they have to drive to work and run errands and carry on business, too, but it just looks like fun all the time to me.
My first day here, I took a nice long jog on the beach. I followed the shiny line that the waves make when they lick the shore, and I looked back occasionally to see the curvy line of footprints that I left in the freshly wet sand. Every once in a while, a big wave would sweep in and soak me up to my thighs, and I would high-knee it through until the wave retreated, laughing out loud and automatically labeling myself as a tourist.
When I returned from my run, my friend and her family had other plans that left me at the house by myself, so I packed a dinner and rode one of the bikes down to a pier overlooking the river. I dangled my feet over the pier, read my Bible, and had a romantic date with Jesus as I watched the sun set and make colors dance on the water.
The next day, we took kayaks out onto the river and roamed among the islands looking for adventure. I let the cool water run down my paddle and drip into my lap as I rowed, and I loved every minute of it.
Then today, I started the day with another jog, only this time I went back to the pier, and it sprinkled beach-flavored rain on me on the way there. Although it may seem strange, I absolutely love running in the rain. I played "God's Great Dance Floor" on my ipod and, after making sure no one was watching, danced on the end of the pier.
We ate enormous burritos at a local burrito stand that was covered in surf board stickers. Then we spent the afternoon paddle-boarding, canoeing, and manatee-searching. I finally saw my first manatee in the wild today, and for those of you back in Arkansas who are wondering if manatees are real, they do exist and they look like giant swimming potatoes.
"I just can't believe that you guys live here!" I have said to my friend and her family several times. "It feels so exotic!" And they do love living here, but it doesn't feel so fascinatingly exotic to them when they wake up every morning. It is kind of normal. It is where they work and go to school and grocery shop. Even the most exotic lifestyle can become monotonous if you get used to it.
It makes me wonder - what do I miss everyday because I am just used to it?
The sun sets beautifully over Little Rock just like it does here in Melbourne Beach. How many days do I miss it - or just glance at it and pass on by the miracle?
And think about the stars. Someone once told me if the stars came out only once a year, everyone would stay up all night to watch them. Yet we hardly take time to notice them now. The exotic can indeed become mundane.
The daffodils bloom one at a time every spring, and snowflakes daintily fall every winter as fires dance in living room fireplaces. Hummingbirds come out when the honeysuckle does and crickets chirp on summer nights.
We can't miss these things. They are the miracles and wonders that should make us joyfully exclaim, "Is this real life?" We live an exotic life where seasons change and the clouds are always different and you never know what the weather is really going to be like.
And really, when I think about the exotic life, it doesn't get any better than knowing Christ. The Christian life is an exciting, adventurous, exotic lifestyle.
Just think - to open God's Word knowing and expecting God to speak truth directly to out hearts. To meet with a church family that is really part of a body that exists all around the globe and is unified through the belief in Jesus - that's amazing. How can we ever get used to that? And we have the gift of lifting up prayers and praises to a Holy and Sovereign King because we have immediate access to Him through Christ. We must ask, "Is this really real life?"
Just for today, don't let the exotic become monotonous. Don't let the amazement turn mundane. Look around and see something more - see the footprints in the sand and the shapes in the clouds, taste the flavor of the breeze, hear the voices of the people you love, and feel the intimate presence of an infinite God. We sinners don't deserve any access to Him or His gifts, but through the beautiful grace of the Father expressed through the sacrifice of Jesus, we can both know Him personally and see His glory through the miracles that we tend to label as mundane. Don't miss this; we truly live an exotic life.
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