Every Good Gift Comes from Above
Sometime last year I felt the Lord lay on my heart that I needed to enjoy the season I was in because my life was about to change. Before I left on my vacation to Florida I also felt the Lord lay on my heart that the time was approaching. Though I do not want to pretend I know what the Lord has in store, I do know that I feel my life is shifting from one season to another.
Am I scared?
Yes… partly.
The last four years has been rough, but one thing I’ve learned is that God is always with me and that He provides, leads, and protects.
Is that enough?
Maybe.
I do know in the depth of my soul that I can trust Him. I may not feel like it at times, but I have story after story of His faithfulness that I can look back on to remind myself of the truth.
Not only has He answered prayers that were necessary and needful, He has answered prayers that is based off of His love for me. He seems to have a way of speaking my love language at just the right time and in just the right way.
Day Ten: Tuesday, January 27
I was honestly excited to be getting home. I missed work, my town, my friends… I couldn’t wait. We had decided on getting up before 6 but my mom ended up waking me at 3:30 and thought we should leave. She was doing most of the driving because something happened to my eyes while I was sick, making things not very clear and giving me anxiety every time I tried driving. She said she was awake and would rather drive in the dark before sunrise, rather than be driving after sunset. So we packed our stuff, did devotions, got in the car and prayed for a quick, safe, peaceful trip home.
Though the first two hours in the dark seemed to drag on forever, the rest of the drive went by quickly, which was such a blessing since it was a 12 hr trek. We did stop at another coffee shop that had so far the best Matcha Latte I’ve ever had. They had a prayer wall that people could add to with coffee dipped tags. The theme of the wall was Matthew 6:26. They had a plaque that shared how they prayed for all the requests on the wall.
My last souvenir ended up being a leather key chain wrist strap that says, “how much more does he love you”. I felt like it wrapped up what the theme of this trip was. He showed me His love in marvelously simple ways that it filled my soul in a grand and special way.
On the way home the directions gave two alerts of roads that were unplowed from the storm. I had asked a friend to pray they would get it clear before we arrived. We didn’t want to have to spend any more money on hotels waiting for roads to be cleaned off. West Virginias trees were beautifully covered in ice, but thank God the roads were completely passable. Winter Storm Fern of 2026 missed us entirely.
Shortly before sunset we arrived home safely!
One of the main things I felt like God was using this vacation for was to move me from one season to the next.
A song called, I Feel a Shift, was one that continually remained on my heart during the trip. Talking about how you feel deep down that its time to move forward. I ended up purchasing a 3D bookmark at one of the gift shops on the island that says, Man cannot discover new oceans unless he loses sight of the shore… I felt like when I was standing on the shore listening to this song that that’s what God was calling me to do…
It is time to step out into the deep and leave the safety of the shore.
The travel home, waiting for the storm to pass, in South Carolina, I felt like was prep for this next season of life. I had time to do some quick journaling of the most important elements of our trip so I could blog about it later. In practical terms I also felt like it was a good transition back to colder temps. Going from 70’s to single digits would have been miserable!
Overall, I don’t think I will ever experience anything as special as this trip was. This was a gift from God that was totally unexpected and perfect. He proved His love to me in a very practical, visible way that I will never forget.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. – James 1:17
If there is anything in your life you struggle with, – which is all of us right? – I encourage you to talk to God about it. Learn to lean into His embrace and enjoy spending time with Him. He loves us so much more than we will ever imagine!
Until next time,
Happy Running !
Places we Visited that I would Recommend if You’re in the area:
- Anna Maria Life Vacation Rentals on Anna Maria Island Florida
- Pizza Social on Anna Maria Island
- Two Sides of Nature on Anna Maria Island
- North End Boutique on Anna Maria Island
- Grounds of Grace in Pooler, Georgia
- Hilton Head Social Bakery on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina
- Craft Kafe in Tampa, Florida
Be Still and Run 