We’re all about Isles here, as you well know.
When I started this little Misfit adventure 6 1/2 years ago [🚨 BACKSTORY ALERT 🚨 ] I actually felt more like I had been banished to the Isle of Patmos. For you non Bible-Nerds out there, that is, a place of isolation; literally the place of “my killing“ (look it up, that’s what it literally means). Rugged, and bare.
Lonely.
Yep, getting all those feels back. Ah, memories.
But it also means the place of revelation. And as revelations go, I got a big one. No, nothing apocalyptic or self aggrandizing, more of a personal epiphany. But a big one. And the big epiphany for me was this: I was not alone in feeling like I didn’t fit in, that there were in fact a lot more people out there just like me, feeling like square pegs, trying to find our place.
Thus the Isle of Misfits was born.
Since then, I have visited several other metaphorical isles, including, but not limited to:
The Isle of Illness. The Isle of Grief. The Isle of Depression. The Isle of Dementia. Some of them have been repeat visits. All sure to be chapters in the book I am writing, if I ever get it finished.
But most recently, I visited another Isle. And this one was both literal and metaphorical.
Literally, the Isle of Kauai.
Metaphorically, the Isle of Restoration. The Isle of Joy.
The Isle of Waking Up.
I went there to be part of a Captivating CORE Retreat. To serve. And to learn. And to rest. And to soak in unimaginable beauty. And to spend precious time with precious loved ones. And to be reminded of some things I had forgotten.
And to be restored.
And most importantly… to pass it on.
Here’s a little snippet of my time there, because, as they say, a picture is worth 1000 rambling words from a Misfit. Well, that’s what I say anyway.
So what is it I want to pass on?
That God sees you. That you matter. That you are here, ALIVE, for a purpose. A purpose, so much bigger, and so much more fulfilling than merely existing on the little isle where you currently reside. Sure, it gets comfortable there, but in your heart you know there is more. It takes courage to step off dry-land and to swim out into the deep waters. But not the kind of courage that you need to muster up all by yourself. In fact, it’s quite the opposite; this kind of courage requires admitting that you don’t have it to begin with… and that’s where you begin to find it.
And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 1Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
1 Corinthians 12:9-10
So, my Misfit friends, as I said, I know, I’m not alone in the journey. We are in this together. We are all island hopping. All of the time. But there IS an Isle of Restoration for all of us.
There is an Isle of Waking Up,
Sometimes it will be literal. Sometimes it will be metaphorical. Sometimes both. But it is always oh so real. Because Jesus the Restorer of hearts meets us there, and makes it so.
Let’s share our journeys together. I’d love to hear about yours!
Isle of misfits 