| By Sara Blasko, Children’s Ministry Director |
My in-Laws recently sold their house in Florida, and have also been dealing with some health issues. Nick and I offered to go down for a few days and pack up their house and drive the moving truck home. We’ve been here for 3 days and have most of it done.
It has been pretty emotional to say the least. This has been our go to spring break destination for the past 10 years or so with our boys. The location is great, the people are precious to us, and you can’t beat the price! One of my favorite things that my mother in law did when we came down, was putting together little gift bags for the boys. She would usually have fun stuff for the pool, the boy’s favorite candy, and a new movie for them to watch on the long ride home.
While that was of course the boys’ favorite thing when they got here, I could look beyond the gift bags and see all of the preparation that went into hosting us. Fresh sheets on the beds, emptied out dressers and closets to make room for our clothes, a bathroom stocked with all of our favorite products. In the kitchen, there were lots of drinks and snacks and meals that we love.
While we were packing up yesterday, Nick was working on the linen closet and came out with a beach bag and some beach towels. “Aren’t these yours?”, he asked. I had to tell him that they were not. His mom just always had that stuff there for us, so that we didn’t have to pack that much.
All of these gestures were done with so much love and thoughtfulness. We always felt welcome, and cared for, and happy. People would always say, “You’re going to Florida again?”, Of course we were! That’s where our family was and we were taken care of.
In John 14: 1-3 It says, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; Believe also in me. In my fathers house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”
As much as my mother in law loves us and is excited for us to come and prepares for us…how much more does our heavenly father love us? I always look forward to our Florida trips with such anticipation but Heaven is definitely the final destination!