Why would a Canadian travel to Hawaii in the middle of the winter? 

Though not everyone might understand the answer, anyone who has experienced Canadian winters would know you go to escape the cold! 

And upon landing in Honolulu, my wife and I couldn’t peel off our jackets fast enough. In fact, we chuckled a bit to see that the residents were wearing jackets. 

That warmth did come with a price, however. Not only were the temperatures seemingly high for us snow-bound Canadians, but the humidity was relatively high as well. That meant that no matter where we went for a walk or how long we were gone, I would always come back to our rented room dripping in sweat. My wife started hanging up my wet shirt to dry so that when I wet the next one, I could just change back into the one I had sweated up before, while the new wet one dried! 

It didn’t help that it rained. A lot. And when I wasn’t wetting my shirts with my sweat, the rain was drenching them. In order to stay dry from the rain, I would put on a rain jacket. That was way too warm for the temperatures, however, and pretty soon I was again soaking wet from my sweat.

My wife on the other hand, somehow she never seemed to need to change out of wet clothes. She never wore a jacket for one thing. Even in the rain. It was always funny to see after a rain storm how she would be dry long before I was… In general however, I will say that although sweat wasn’t her problem, she didn’t tend to tolerate the high humidity well either, often complaining of headache. 

Yes, the warmer temperatures were a blessing to us; but at the same time, they acted like a curse. Isn’t that the case with most good things in life? No matter what it is, there is always a negative side. Take getting a promotion, for example. This usually comes with higher pay, yes; but often with more responsibilities as well. What about being in perfect health? Aren’t you the one who everyone who isn’t in perfect health leans on? And then there’s the ideal relationship. It’s great! But sometimes maintaining that relationship takes time and effort, and sometimes it means compromise. In fact, no matter what good thing in life, we always have to put up with some negative payback.

What about following God? 

The benefits would take far more space than the confines of this short devotional to describe: “I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all.” (Is. 41:10-12 NIV). 

But are there drawbacks? 

Of course. Following God requires obedience and surrender: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (Mark 8:34b NIV). 

Hard, yes! Worth it? Absolutely! Why? Because obedience and surrender opens the doors God’s blessings to flow! 

In the end, we were happy to put up with the extra laundry in order to avoid Canadian winters. And in the end, the obedience and surrender to God are so worth it, for He has promised to bless our obedience and surrender: “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today… All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God.” (Deuteronomy 28:1-2 NIV)!

Join us next Friday for one last lesson from Hawaii: Shaved Ice!

Inspired by Rob Chaffart
Director, Answers2Prayer Ministries