There are botanical gardens and mountains where you can see big patches of sky. There are beaches! And I think to myself, “Awe, yes. That’s what I need. If I were on the shore, in the warm sun, then I’d be happy. All would be right with my world.”

But the thing is, occasionally, occasionally I do get to the shore and while I’m thankful for some space to restore my soul, I find that my heart is restless there too.

Before we started traveling, I had a lot of trying-to-survive-the-humdrum days. But, even now that we’re on the road and in a new place nearly every week, the truth is, there are no short cuts to peace. Everything has to be prayed through.

We could run away from where we’re at. This rough patch we’re in. But, the thing is we’d be taking our restless hearts with us. We’d still have these tangled up thoughts and internal battles.

We’d still have our questions.

Our disappointments.

Our doubts.

And haven’t you noticed that at the end of life, no one stands up at the funeral and says, “She was good at vacations.” Or “That girl. She sure knew how to relax.”

They say, “She loved me like no other. She poured her life into mine. I’m gonna miss her like crazy. All the ways she blessed.”

So, I tell myself this, over the sink of dishes, or working through hard things with Brent. While I’m wiping the snotty noses and helping my toddler off the commode. I tell myself, “This is what matters. This is the most fulfilling thing.”

Though our emotions are tricky and often tell us an entirely different thing. The truth is, all this pouring our life out for someone else–that’s the best part. That’s the part that actually counts.

These days, Brent and I do a fair amount of speaking. Weekly, we stand on stages. I used to think that the best part of life would be, if you get to hold a microphone. But, the affirmation only lasts for about three seconds.

The best part really is the living part. The struggling along part. The pushing through part. The getting on our knees beside our bed and crying out to Jesus part.  That part is the profoundly beautiful part. Because it’s those hard, grueling, staying faithful to the task at hand moments, that end up making us who we are meant to be.

My loves, life can be so very tricky. So, we’ll have to tell ourselves some true things. No need to run away from here. But, moment-by-moment, we get our restless hearts to God. Until we find our rest in Him.

And Father, just give us eyes to see Your glory in this everyday, ordinary place.