Mairangi Bay, March 2024
In spite of various traffic mitigations over the years, Auckland's constantly growing population often makes escaping from the big city for a long weekend quite challenging. Depending on your departure time, the whole thing can seem like one giant traffic jam.
There is a lot to be said for a 'staycation', that is; don't go anywhere but enjoy what the local area has to offer, particularly as a lot of other people disappear to holiday destinations and create an air of relative tranquility. As I approach eight years at Forrest Hill, I have certainly learned to appreciate the views, the coast and the pockets of bush that surround us on the North Shore.
As a younger person, I seldom got to appreciate what Easter was really about, even after I became a Christian, as Easter weekend was an ideal length of time for a challenging tramp in the Coromandel or Kaimai Ranges. Ironically, becoming a minister was the first time I really attended to it properly. These days I'm content to be present, and contemplate the true meaning of it all. Apostle Paul has a balanced view of contentment in his instruction to Timothy:
"Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these." 1 Timothy 6: 6-9
Let us be aware of what is around us, and the season we find ourselves in, and the grace given to us by God through Jesus. I was wonder why Good Friday is called 'Good'. Perhaps because it demonstrates that God is willing to be present with us as human beings in the good and the bad of our lives? Even death. But let's have a staycation with God. May you be present with Him this Easter. Shalom
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