Israel 2018 – Day 1 (plus a few hours here and there)

Reflections

There is a wonderful feeling that occurs when you come home. Sometimes it’s easy to misplace that feeling. Coming home on a normal day can be somewhat underwhelming. But go away for a while, and coming home is totally different…it’s like, well, coming home.
This “coming home” feeling has been my primary response these past 24 hours. Even Jimmy Nammour, our tour guide (and incredible man of God), saw me and said “welcome home.” So much is familiar and that is a very good thing. When folks would ask me if I was excited, my response was “of course,” but I also was unsure. Would I be disappointed? Would it mean or feel differently? Well, it’s been different but it has also been so comfortable.

What has already added to this trip has been the addition of my traveling partner, Alex. Traveling across the globe with your child and seeing things through his eyes is priceless. Watching him in awe of the clouds from the window of the plane, to arriving and being in a different culture has been fantastic. He is not a child anymore, but his joy and his appreciation for what is in front of him is truly a gift to me. And being able to watch the scriptures come alive as he stepped near the Sea of Galilee was beyond my words. His excitement at each stop has been like stepping back in time to Christmases when he was 5.
As for my own thoughts, the Sea of Galilee stills awes me. It certainly doesn’t awe me due to its size – it’s small compared to many I’ve been on in the States. But it’s almost like the sea itself has a soul – like it’s longing for you to experience what happened on it. At each stop this morning, the crashing waves were like reminders to be still and listen – to be silent.

Equally awe inspiring to me is this place Banais – or Caesarea-Philippi. This spring that feeds the Sea of Galilee has such a dark history – with pagan worship and sacrifices that would make me squeamish to think about. But it’s also a place where Jesus was confessed and accepted his title as the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. In a place that was said to be the actual Gates of Hades, Jesus would say that the confession would make such dark places shake.

As the day comes to an end, I reflect with a smile and with a heart of thanks. So many have urged, encouraged, and helped make this trip possible for my son (and me). I am experiencing something that few will ever get to – and I am, again, in awe. This place means so much to me – it’s like I’ve come home. Tomorrow, I have been asked to share a devotion while on a boat going across the Lake – to say I’m excited might be an understatement, but that’s a tale and a story for another time.

For Now…Shalom from the city of Tiberius in Galilee of the Gentiles in Israel.