Ahh Wales.
Beautiful,
windy, wet Wales. The place where you won at jungle speed (and if
you didn't, it somehow didn't matter…), where you thought the
joys of uni-hoc would continue forever, where embracing the warm
welsh waters made you feel more alive than you ever have! Ahh Wales.
But then it ended. No
more beach. No longer enough people for an impromptu game of
rounders. No longer fantastic food cooked for you.
But most of all, no
longer surrounded by brothers and sisters rejoicing in the same
truths as you. No longer in a community where you’re accepted for
who you are. No longer frequent reminders of the glorious truths of
the gospel. No longer a safe, natural place to ask questions. No
longer a large group of Christians to sing the praises of our Saviour
with. And so… not feeling quite so excited about the truth any
more. In fact, feeling a bit… flat.
Well, you are not
alone. This is the phenomenon of the Post-Getaway Blues. (Similar
symptoms and related causes to Post-Camp Blues which may hit over the
summer months for those helping on Christian youth camps.) On
Getaway, in thinking about heaven, Ed Shaw helped us to understand the Post-Getaway Blues, and as a church family on Sunday
we were thinking about a truth that will help us deal with the blues:
1. Feeling:
The Post-Getaway Blues
can be described as a feeling of homesickness. Do you remember what
Ed said about the good times and the tough times in life? During the
good times, we can rejoice that this is a glimpse of how wonderful
heaving is going to be. And during the tough times, we can rejoice
that heaven is not going to be like this.
Well, on Getaway, we had a
glimpse of heaven – a group of people gathering around the throne
of the lamb, washed in his blood, saying and singing his praises.
And it was great. Coming back to Bristol, that foretaste of heaven
has left us longing for the reality – homesick for heaven. Let’s
use that feeling of homesickness to remind us that we’re not home
yet (so not to get too comfortable in this world), that we have work
to do before we’re home (so not to get lazy over the summer) but
that we will be home soon (so pray for Jesus to return). A place so
glorious, that the troubles of this life will seem light and
momentary in comparison.
2. Fact:
Our feelings are
important when we understand what they’re telling us. But
ultimately, we need to rely on the Facts, not Feelings, as we heard
on Sunday.
Fact: God is our Father
and we are his children.
Fact: When you feel no
one understands, He knows.
Fact: When you feel
alone, He is with you. He is there for you.
Fact: God has
reconciled us to himself, through the death of Christ on the cross.
So turn your feelings
into longings for heaven, and let the facts warm your heart and spur
you on to keep going in the meantime.
