Give Reviving...on an RV

I spent the better part of last week in an RV affectionately named Ethel with two of my dearest friends. I took a plane to Texas and the next morning we hit the road, traveling up through the Ozarks all the way back to Tennessee. We laughed, we talked, we hiked, we ate (Oh, Cracker Barrel, why?), we hooked up and unhooked up the RV, we cursed the steep grades of mountain cliffs, we talked to strangers who knew we weren't from there, we said fervent prayers. In short, we lived a little.

This trip was needed. The gray haze of dreary winter had, largely unbeknownst to me, been casting a pall over my heart and mind and causing my to drift numbly through my days. It dawned on me that I needed a little refreshment when I had no specific prayer requests for the fourth week in a row at bible study. That's just not a good sign. I've been more connected to my grocery list than God's word. More connected with my computer than with nature. Sometimes when this vague boredom and restlessness settles upon me, I find myself humming these lyrics a friend of mine once wrote: "Day after day, in the very worst way, I find ways of wasting my time. The time that you found me sleeping so soundly was the best that I've spent in a very long time." It was high time for a little adventure, I'd say.

And as surely as Ethel's name means 'Noble,' my soul began to wake up, unfurl, and experience.

On the plane out there, even, the change of perspective brought renewed energy and inspiration:

"There's a terrific storm front to my left. Big, heavy, gray clouds, momentarily glowing pink with the flash of lightning within. From the security of the plane, with 'Thy Mercy, My God' in my ears and Bill Bryson's wit in my mind, I view this natural wonder with brazen detachment. But, oh, the lightning crackles and flickers with electricity and fire--real and sharp and jolts me from my apathy. The storms are strong. The darkness is deep. The rain is cold. For a minute I can see nothing, and then suddenly the illuminated outlines of the clouds. "The darkness is as light" to you, Oh Lord. "Who is this that the wind and the waves obey Him?"

Jesus, be more real to me than the storms

and more real than the ipod and the printed pages

more real than the fizzy sweetness of Diet Coke swirling around my teeth..."

Oh may the Lord, in His great mercy and love, continue to revive and refresh as I return to normalcy. By the Holy Spirit, ignite my heart and mind to live with the passion and joy that comes from having a Living Hope.

As the great hymn intones, "Father for Thy promised blessing/Still we plead before Thy throne/ For the times of, sweet refreshing,/Which can come from Thee alone/ Blessed earnests, Thou hast given,/ But in these we would not rest/ Blessings still with Thee are hidden,/ Pour them forth and make us blest!/ Give reviving, give refreshing,Give the looked-for Jubilee; To Thyself may crowds be pressing, Bringing glory unto Thee."

(Give Reviving, Albert Midlane, alt Chelsey Scott)