Four days traveling north on the beautiful Hudson River has been one of our favorite parts of the trip so far. We cruised for about 5 hours a day along side lush foliage, sheer cliffs, impressive suspension bridges, historic lighthouses, beautiful homes, trains speeding on the edges of each shoreline and solitude for miles and miles along the entire stretch from New York City to the entrance of the Erie Canal. Stel and I thought there was no better way to share our experience than to include some of the pictures that we took along the way as well as part of a devotion that meant a lot to us as we considered the gift of this experience. Hope you enjoy!

“Somewhere deep inside, we know the truth about ourselves. Everything we have was given to us. None of us asked to be born or specified the conditions under which we came into this world. We did not choose our talents or our physical features. We did not select our place of birth or our native language. We may have been industrious and careful in choosing our paths, but our drive and our wisdom was given to us by our Creator. We did not make our own circumstances, build our own brains, or control our own relationships. Everything we have is a gift.”

“Even so, we take an awful lot of credit for the good things that God has given. We take pride in our work, display our accomplishments, advertise our abilities, and use our relationships for our own esteem. For people who were created, we act an awful lot like creators.”

“God will find ways to undo our pride. We often need reminders of our neediness. We can’t relate to God properly unless we understand that all we have and all we are is by grace. When we take credit, we deny God’s generosity. That is not a minor offense. His love will correct us.”

“Wake up each morning with a self-reminder that your life is all about grace. It will keep you humble and it will open God’s arms to you. It will ground you in the truth!” –The One Year Walk with God Devotional