A week by the sea. I had some time off of in my very busy schedule and wanted to get away. Britt, a friend of mine, suggested I stay at Skjærgårdsheimen, the YWAM base in south Norway near Kristiansand. The idea was brilliant - a gift from God. (Thank you Britt for the excellent suggestion.)
It all began Monday - a three hour train ride south. I sat by a man with whom I talked with the whole trip there, he initiated most of the conversation. I wasn't feeling so great, but didn't want to appear rude, so I continued to converse and besides it was nice to chat. But about 10 minutes before our arrival to our destination, the "not so feeling well" feeling increased and to my dismay - I threw up! Yes, on the train in one of those little bags, so embarrassing. For the next day or so, my stomach would react every time I ate, bad and unwelcome stomach bug.
So here I am a little ill, trying to rest and relax. I've discovered that I have a challenging time relaxing, I always think I"m being irresponsible if I do non productive things like read, watch movies, sleep in, etc.... It's sad, so my goal this week was to learn how to rest - truly rest. I think I did okay. I've prayed a lot this trip about if I was being irresponsible or not. It's been a battle to relax. Why are we so silly?
I've been counting blessings while here, like: I had a stomach bug, but I wasn't "down and out". The base here is beautiful and full of blessings: The view, the showers (very powerful and private), napkins (all I want and need), personal bathroom, there are no schools running here and it is very quiet, Nutella not just on the weekends, and can I mention once again - the view! (it truly is beautiful here). In fact, here are some pictures that I took. Some I edited, but most I did not.
I head back tomorrow, a 7 hour train ride, I purposely kept a book for this day. I am grateful for my time here and what I've learned about resting, about me. I pray that the next time I get a break I will find it easier to rest.
