Coming To You From Our Staycation 2020

A desire wells within me each year during late February into March. A desire to travel to somewhere warm, tropical, and beach-ish. (I don’t think beach-ish is a word, but it’s fitting for my desire today. I love the beach!) With a couple trips already planned for the upcoming months, however, we thought it would be best to stay home this spring.

We’re taking a staycation instead. #staycation2020

staycation :: a vacation spent at home or near home, doing enjoyable activities or visiting local attractions.

With us having spring break in BSF next week, I’ve wiped my schedule clean. The only two things I have planned are coffee with a friend Monday afternoon and our women’s group at church Monday evening. Other than that, my schedule is empty. EMPTY! I can’t remember the last time that’s happened, and I can’t tell you how excited I am to have a blank week! To do whatever we feel like doing. Whenever we feel like doing it!

Maybe we’ll pretend to be tourists at our local German villages. Or, maybe we’ll take a day trip or two. Or, maybe we’ll stay close to home, linger a little longer with our coffee in the morning, or stay up late watching movies.

Staycation 2020 actually began for me yesterday. The day was filled with catching up on things here at home, with writing, and with calming my fears of this coronavirus, COVID-19. I spent way too much time on my social media feeds, reading of the details of the ramifications of this virus. Not smart. By the time Bill arrived home from work (poor guy didn’t know what hit him), I was a worked-up mess. And, that was the calmer me than who I was an hour earlier!

Staycation 2020 will not be filled with fear.

I’m declaring that right now. I cannot be filled with faith if I’m filled with fear. It’s one or the other. I’m choosing faith. I hope you are, too.

My next post will share some powerful Bible verses for when fear tries to consume us. But, one I’m clinging to is this:

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10 NIV

This staycation, instead, will be filled with faith, hope, and love.

We just finished studying 1 Corinthians 8-14 in this week’s BSF lesson, and it was an honor to be given the opportunity to give this week’s lecture on these seven chapters. Included in these chapters is Chapter 13, regarding the greatest gift of love.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:13

To quote part of my lecture,

In verses 8 through 13 (of Chapter 13), we learn love never fails because Jesus never fails. In Jesus, love faced death and love won. Everything else will fade, even the gifts that the Corinthians were squabbling over. Paul encourages them to be mastered by Jesus Christ alone, not to worry about mastering their gifts. This chapter exemplifies the indispensable love we so desire, yet the love we are unable to give on our own. When we have Jesus, however, we have this love. Romans 5:5 says that God’s love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Let’s tap into that love and live by it.

Yes, let’s tap into this love and live by it.

That’s my focus for staycation 2020.

How about you? What are you doing this spring? Are you going somewhere warm, tropical, and beach-ish? (If so, would you send me photos so I can live vicariously through you?) Or are you vising somewhere else? Are you staying closer to home? Are you having your own staycation 2020?

I’ll be sharing my #staycation2020 adventures on Instagram. Stop on over there and let’s have fun this spring together. And, I invite you to join me in being filled with faith and not fear. Love and not worry.

God bless you, friend. I’m so glad you’re my friend!