Last week, Cal did an open topic message. You can listen to it here. Shannon and I were absent because we took our baby girl to see my side of the family down south. It was one of the best trips down with Elora since she was born. I’d like to share a few highlights from our trip as a way of finding refreshment from the routines of life. These times of refreshing are important for both our emotional and spiritual well-being.

Family Bonding

My family lives over 300 miles away. So it’s pretty obvious Elora gets limited time with her grandma, grandpa, aunt, uncle, and cousins on my side of the family. We try to take 4-6 trips a year down so she gets to know her Daddy’s side of the family.

In the past months, trips down with Elora have been a bit of a chore. having a fussy infant in a car seat for several hours is a bit of an emotional drain. Then there is the sharing of a bedroom with her, where we have to keep very quiet while sleeping, else we wake her up. She is an early riser, so sleeping in isn’t an option, even though we are on break from the routines of life. But the trips are absolutely worth it.

My parents had me later in life (42 and 37). Since I got married in my mid-thirties, so my dad and step-mom are seniors. Because of that and distance, I have a great motivation to get Elora in contact with them as frequently as possible. If it is possible, I’d like Elora to have some memory of her grandpa and grandma when she gets older. My plan is to supplement personal interaction with video chats, so she continues to get familiar with them.

Family bonding is very important for my folks and sister, so we make efforts to let that happen as much as possible. Here are some pics of Elora interacting with her grandpa:

Elora is slow to warm up to people, and dad is no exception. By the time this trip rounded to a close, she was getting more comfortable with him around. He even got on the ground and played with her for a bit. It was such a heartwarming experience for me. My dad was born in 1938 and Elora in 2017, there’s 79 years between them. I love that he is able to play with and interact with his last child’s firstborn baby. It is such a sweet experience. One I hope to continue building into for as long as possible.

1st Experiences

There were some great first experiences with Elora on this trip. It was her first time playing on toys at the park, her first time visiting an orchard, her first time visiting a winery (no she didn’t drink anything), her first time trying pizza and getting fed by grandpa. We took tons of pictures

Adventures Together

Many of the 1sts above involve our family adventures together. We too Elora to the local park early in the morning. She had never been to a park and never rode toys before. So we held her as she rode the roundabout, the swings (which she totally loved), and slides. She had a blast and so did we.

Another adventure we had was to the first apple/peach orchard for Elora. There she got to see live chickens up close (she was intrigued, but hesitant). We bought some goodies to take home with us.

We visited a winery that had an amazing view off the pavilion. It was one of the first scenic views Elora has seen.

On the way back north, we stopped off and saw the Smerz family and met baby George. It was a wonderful time sharing with them for a couple hours. After that, we made a stop in Springfield to visit the Lincoln Museum.

Recounting Together

One of the best parts of our trip was recounting the experience together. We talked about how Elora reacted to different foods, stimuli, creatures, and more. We shared about how great this trip was compared to previous trips. We shared about our hopes and dreams and what the Lord may have in store for our next season of life. By the time we got back to our house up north, we were relaxed, refreshed, and ready to begin a newly modified schedule.

Why All This in a Pastor Blog?

So why showcase my family’s mini-adventure in the Pastor’s blog? Because it relates to the core of the Gospel. Jesus Christ is at the center of our marriage and family. It is our growth and maturing in Him that we have grown closer together with shared Christ-like values, lifestyles, and relationship building.

Shannon and I rarely bicker. Rather we have chosen to follow the example of Jesus and focus on the best in each other regularly. That way, when we do inadvertently hurt one another, we have a reservoir of good and loving relational credit that we can address the hurt in a loving and compassionate way. That comes by building a life together, regular interactions, heart to hearts, and learning about each other’s hopes, dreams, and preferences.

The same is the case with our relationship with Jesus. Christianity is not about placating a deity. It is about genuine personal relationship. The more I interact with Shannon and Elora on a genuine and personal way, the more I get to “know” them. The more we interact in our ups and downs and continue to call out the best in each other and affirm they way we’re made, the more intimate we become.

Also, with Elora interacting with my Dad, we realize how precious is their limited time together. I have a great motivation to foster as much interaction as possible precisely because of the reality of limited time. Human relationships are always limited by time and mortality. Dad and Elora don’t have an indiscriminate amount of time to get to know each other. The core of the Gospel is good relationship, so it makes sense that we make the time to foster that. There isn’t enough time to strain our relationship with undue drama and hurtful relational decisions.

The same goes for Christian fellowship as a whole. The one thing we are called to do is love fully and relate rightly. Failure to do so and failure to act this out in real life relationships is the root of sin. Every sinful activity is rooted somewhere in a failure to give or receive full love and right relationship.

Shannon and I took Elora on a wonderful adventure to Southern Illinois. We fostered relationship with my family in the limited time we have. And in the process, we created memories together–common experiences that we can recount and share for years to come, thus deepening our relationship with each other and with Elora.

What would our Christian walks be like if we intentionally did the same with Jesus? What if we shared adventures with him in where we go and what we do? What if we fostered relationship with him as if our time were limited–thus giving time with Him an intentional priority. What if we created memories together with Jesus–common experiences that we can recount for years to come, thus deepening our relationship with Him?

So in the end, this post isn’t about showcasing my family. It is about a real-world example of fostering good relationships in a way that we could be fostering with Jesus as well. Our walk with God leads us to an eternal relationship, but we will only have the present season here and now. We can choose to build memories and interactions with Jesus here and now that we will never have the opportunity to in the future. We can always have access to Jesus, but we will only have this moment here and now. What are we doing with that time? Are we deepening our relationship with Him, or are we squandering it with the assumption that I’ll get back on track “soon?” A “soon” that may keep getting pushed back.

I hope today’s post has been an uplifting blessing to draw closer to God. As always, I pray this post helps you experience God’s

Presence. Love. Power.