Galatians 6:9 NLT “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”

Currently, my family is enjoying our third week of a five week sabbatical (extended ministry vacation) for rest and renewal.  I have already enjoyed exploring the mountain trails above Idaho Springs on ATVS and spending hours ocean side in a cabana with my beautiful wife.  We are intentionally focusing the next few weeks on our kids and sharing some fun with them in Savannah, Georgia.  To say we needed an extended break after fourteen years of ministry is definitely an understatement, but we are soaking up every minute of it together while we have the opportunity.

Originally, I thought that I would be sharing this month on the importance of rest and hobby-ing well, but this last week in Cancun really brought my attention to this verse that the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Galatia Christians.  You see, there is a biological problem plaguing the Mexican Caribbean coast that we became aware of while we were staying at the Sun Palace.  All of Cancun and down the coast is dealing with thousands and thousands of pounds of thick, stinky, seaweed along it’s beaches every day, and unfortunately, it’s not expected to improve in the near term according to leading experts. It definitely limited the amount of time resort guests spent in the seaweed filled water, and increased the workload on hotel employees running tractors every morning to rake up hundreds of pounds of this reddish-brown thick seaweed known as sargassum.  As workers would fill dozens and dozens of these agricultural sacks full to be hauled away from the beach, there was no hope of the beach staying clear for very long as more seaweed continued to wash ashore with every wave.

And here’s where it caught my attention…Sure those employees are getting paid to do a job, but how frustrating is it (or can it be) when the hours of time and sweat literally have nothing to show for it.  Can you relate? We show up and invest energy into work everyday, and it’s easy to feel the same way…what do you have to show for it? Or we give and give into a relationship, and we are left wondering if the investment was worth it. Will the proverbial seaweed just show back up tomorrow and cover the beach once again?!?  And I believe that Paul would tell you today that it is. It’s worth every minute!  Every frustrating drop of sweat that drains your energy and leaves you with a mind full of questions.  Keep loving and investing in those relationships. Don’t stop showing up. This world needs you. It needs your uniqueness and what you have to offer. It’s easy to feel overlooked and unappreciated, but just maybe, that’s the very reason God had me write this to you.

 “at just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing IF we don’t give up.”