ABUNDANT LIFE

God's Desire for Us

Studies have shown that one of the things that can break down our immune system is stress. Many of us have stressful jobs. Just having to be present for a certain number of hours every day means that we cannot just relax, as we may wish to. I worked in the timeshare industry for several years and one of the things we told potential customers is, studies have shown that people who vacation on a regular basis tend to live longer lives. It is really important to get out from under the stress for periods of time.

With this in mind, my family planned a quick get-away to Key West. The drive to the Resort was going to be approximately 6 ½ hours. Since we were having a brief stay, it made sense to me that the drive should be a part of the enjoyable experience. Even though we have late model cars, we decided to rent a vehicle. We looked at many vehicles on a site that rents luxury cars. For one reason or another all except one was eliminated. It was a Land Rover. My son liked the vehicle. In fact, I found out it was one of his favorite vehicles. I thought it was very unattractive 😊 Certainly not my idea of a beautiful luxury vehicle. However, since it was the only one that seemed to meet all the criteria, we decided to rent it.

My son has always been a car enthusiast. I recall when he was a child, going to a store and feeling compelled to purchase a toy car for him. I felt in my spirit that I needed to purchase this toy car. I asked him, “did you pray for a toy car?”. He just grinned. I recall one day when I picked him up from school in a BMW 7 series. He told me that the monitor at the car loop had commented that it was the best car that came to the loop. He said, “I would like to be picked up by a different car every day”. I was ready to tell him how inappropriate that desire was, when the Holy Spirit told me to shut up. Sometimes, if we are not careful, we can be instrumental in keeping our kids from dreaming big dreams.

When I saw the Land Rover up close, I was impressed with it. It had a great paint job, was really spacious, and had a very rugged look. I could appreciate it for the type of vehicle it was. It was perfect for the trip. It was a hybrid and we got approximately 39 mpg. Again, the Lord gave my son the desire of his heart.

We arrived at the Resort after dark. We got checked in and liked the unit very much. At about 3:00 am, I heard what sounded like a rooster crowing. The sound not only continued but seemed to be coming from different locations. I thought “are there kids making these sounds to be funny”. We were not at a farm we were in a very populated area. That morning my daughter took pictures of the culprits. Several roosters had made a point of crowing at the top of their lungs. One was so hoarse from crowing that he did not sound right. Apparently, roosters are a thing in Key West. They roam the streets without fear. I even saw one in the parking lot of a Popeyes Restaurant. Maybe it was in protest, not sure 😊

I learned a lot of things from this vacation. I reconfirmed that God always knows best. I was once again aware that God wants only the best for us. We need only follow the leadings of the Holy Spirit to experience the abundant life.