A few years ago, I felt a nudge. My husband and I were coming out of a hard season with a renewed commitment to follow God wholeheartedly. We felt God moving us in a new direction, but we didn’t know where He was leading. So, we prayed for God to show us His will for us. What I really wanted was GPS, turn-by-turn directions. Yes God, I want to follow You, but please show me exactly where and how we are supposed to get there.
As I prepare my heart for Easter, I tend to experience it in three parts: the trauma of the crucifixion, the silence of the burial and the joy of the resurrection.
Usually, I skip over the “Silent Saturday” - or Sabbath day as it was known. This is because nothing seemed to be happening. With Jesus’s last breath, any hope of rescue was silenced. No more accusations or pleas fill the air. On this particular Sabbath, there was nothing to do but sit in solitude with empty, hopeless, confusing and consuming sorrow. “Both Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (the mother of Jesus) were sitting across from the tomb and watching.” Matt. 27:61 NLT
This year, I was drawn to it, this Silent Sabbath, or Saturday, as we call it.
I overheard my son trying to describe to my husband a place that makes him feel happy and in his element. When words failed him, he finally sighed and said “Well, you know, it’s exactly how Mom feels about the beach. It’s her happy place.”
“Aloha,” said the flight attendant as I hastily exited from the plane in January. “Be sure you have all of your belongings, and please wear your mask through the airport to baggage claim.”
At the time, I understood “aloha” as the mere Hawaiian word for casual hellos and goodbyes. I was excited to hear the word, of course, because it meant that I was officially on the envied island of Maui.
Maui (and the state of Hawaii overall) has enforced relatively strict policies over the course of COVID-19: negative testing prior to arrival, health questionnaires, temperature checks, mask mandates — you know the drill. Although they rely heavily on tourism for their state economy, they also comprehend the massive risk of an uncontrollable outbreak as an isolated island in the middle of the Pacific ocean. As a result, Maui has been able to maintain an extremely low number of cases.
To be honest, COVID-19 seemed to be nonexistent in Maui. For the first time in 10 months, I had the liberty of eating indoors, visiting popular tourist destinations and standing within six feet of strangers without my OCD reminding me of my upper respiratory issues.
Perhaps it was adrenaline. Perhaps it was God gracing me with a mental health break.
Are you in the midst of making a decision?
Perhaps you’re deciding whether to move, take that new job, start a relationship, or make that big purchase. Or, perhaps you’re simply deciding where to go for lunch or what to wear to work tomorrow.
Whether big or small, we’ve all experienced fear of making the wrong choice.
In her devotion “Is This the Right Decision?” from Proverbs 31 Ministries, Lysa TerKeurst says,
