Real life issues

Well, we are over two months into this grand adventure now and it’s been an eye opening experience so far.

We have seen beautiful places and experienced amazing things.

We have also seen more of our own selves and experienced more of our own sin and selfishness.

Full time RVing as a family of 6 is similar to holding up a gigantic mirror to your soul. It is very revealing as to what is lurking in the depths of your heart. There is no hiding your issues. It’s pretty humbling. 

I highly recommend it.

This new lifestyle means we are with each other all the time.

All. The. Time. 

We share tight living spaces. We have one bathroom. Our feet are filthy. So our floor gets filthy. Our refrigerator is small. Our personal space is practically non-existent. We have minuscule storage for all our belongings. Our expectations vary drastically. And our dishes don’t wash themselves.

Oh, and we are all sinners.

Nothing like cramming into a 5th wheel with 2 teenagers, an 8 year-old and a toddler (Or is he a preschooler now? Does it even matter? He’s 3 and he throws the loudest, most massive fits that make the teenagers rolls their eyes and the parents want to chuck him out the door.) 

Here’s the thing. In a fifth wheel, there is nowhere to go when you are throwing a temper tantrum. Whether you are 3 or 43, the trailer is only so big. Sometimes when I’m losing my patience and afraid I’m about to do something that would cause my neighbors to call the police, I go to my room and shut the door. But since the living space is mere inches away from my inadequate refuge, I can still hear all that annoys me.

And believe me, there is a lot that happens in an RV to be annoyed with.

And there is no escape. 

Full time RVing is a refining process. It’s an amazing opportunity to be honest with yourself and say, “Wow, I really am a wretched sinner. Here I thought I had this whole thing figured out. But really, I just used to live with 2 bathrooms. And I could actually lock myself in one of them.” 

Life gives us many opportunities for self awareness. And sometimes, when we see the ugly we sorta wanna escape and go to a place where things don’t seem so ugly. And yeah, sometimes stressful or toxic environments need to change. But sometimes, it’s really just the heart that needs changing. 

I’m certain that if I could full time RV all by myself (considering someone else actually shows up once in awhile to do the driving, towing, and deal with the hooks up for me) I’d probably be pretty angelic. 

And also, I’d be pretty comfortable. Which is what makes it very appealing…

The truth is, life isn’t a quest to find out where we can be the happiest or the most comfortable. The places we are most comfortable often have convenient spots where our sin can be best tucked away and hidden.

We can ignore our issues. Make excuses for them. Blame everyone else. I mean, I could say the reason for my annoyance is my kids’ constant fighting and complaining. But that’s not the reason I’m irritated. I’m irritated because I’m impatient. I need more patience and gentleness, not quiet kids who don’t annoy me. I need peace and joy, not perfect campgrounds and a 5th wheel that never breaks. I need faith and perseverance, not an abundance of income and financial security. And I need self-control and grace, not a perfectly organized day and a clean kitchen. 

Coming to face to face with my issues on a daily basis is a humbling experience. But humility brings about growth. And the flip side is that not dealing with it just leads to mounds of dysfunction. And we certainly don’t have enough room for that kind of baggage on this trip.

Patience is a fruit of the Spirit. Not the fruit of more comfortable circumstances. All the ugly I see in the self-aware mirror in front of me just shows me I have more and more need of the grace of God and the fruit of the Holy Spirit in my life. I don’t need to try harder to be more patient or create environments where I won’t be irritated, I just need more Jesus. 

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” John 15:4

So I’m learning on this RVing adventure that while lots of adventure awaits, real life follows along too. Spending more time with Jesus fills me up to overflow into the other areas. 

More fruit and less selfishness.

Because even though my issues don’t dissolve as I venture down the open road, I want to make this adventure count for the things of eternity.

More of him. Less of me.