I feel like I’m just right under Heaven this week. The stars are so close- it’s like I could reach out and grab them.

My husband was having some trouble with his vocal cords that would eventually lead to surgery if it didn’t heal on its own. Preaching around 10 services a week wasn’t helping it heal so I decided he needed to get away for a few days and rest his voice.

It wasn’t entirely selfless; I wanted a vacation too. We looked at several options and settled on this pet friendly cabin nestled high into the Blue Ridge Mountains near the Georgia/Tennessee line.

We couldn’t travel without our dogs. 🙂

We are on Day 6 of our vacation. I could stay another week; he’s ready to go home. But we are both enjoying the trip. It’s been great to disconnect from the world and spend time with each other and with the Lord. We’ve each worked on the books we are currently writing, watched some movies, played some pool, and enjoyed the beautiful nature around us.

The view today is definitely obscured. A layer of fog (called haze by my weather app) has given me almost zero visibility and yet it is still gorgeous.

I was sitting on the porch swing listening to the rain and the birds. This is the real-life version of the setting on my sound machine.

The cool breeze and mountain rain provided the scent of what I normally pay Bath and Body Works to bottle up and ship to me.

This is amazing.

But the thing I realized today was that the fog represented the world. It represents the struggles and fears and everything that I’m up against. Sitting on the porch, that fog remains in the distance and I am surrounded by beauty and peace. I don’t have to go into the fog today. Sometimes we put ourselves in treacherous situations unnecessarily while we should be sitting back and resting in Him instead.

But sometimes, just like our approaching check-out day, we will have to go into that fog. It may be clearer that day or it could be worse, but when the time to go is here, God will be too. He will see us down the mountain, through the fog, and into the safety of our home. But only if we let Him.

If you are surrounded by such a haze as this, pray for the wisdom to know when to sit back and wait and when it’s time to push through. The answer isn’t always easy to discern but if you listen to that still, small voice, you will know and He will guide you.