An Adventure!
In the middle of the night on Saturday, I had an idea. I wanted to drive down to Daytona Beach, Florida, to pick up my daughter from her summer mission instead of her getting a ride home. Many things would have to fall into place to make this happen for me, but goodness, it all came together. This morning I left our home around 10 am and got here about 4 pm. In just three hours of being here, I have already had crazy things happen, and it feels like that great adventure of trusting God and stepping out in faith!
I left my home not knowing if I had a hotel room or not. I trusted that I was being led and that everything would fall into place. I decided to pull off at a Goodwill in Jacksonville on the way down, and am glad that I did because my cycle began and I didn’t know it! I felt seen by God in an intimate way. Who wants to drive a few more hours not realizing that? Then my trusty Suburban started making some odd noises, like a fan and a belt were acting up. I got to Daytona safely, but when trying to go get dinner, it started, but the steering was like sludge and wouldn’t turn. My husband called a tow truck and is having it taken to a local Goodyear. What if that had happened anywhere but here? I had a wonderful Christian Uber driver who took me to the restaurant to get my takeout, and he waited for me and didn’t charge me to take me back. We had a wonderful conversation about my being a stay-at-home mom, just like his wife, and he said that he “hat-tipped” me and encouraged me.
When I initially went in to get my hotel key (I was informed by a friend midway through my trip that there was availability for me!), two men were standing outside. One said to the other, “Well, buddy, it’s time to go back to prison!” And then a guy was being wheeled out on a stretcher from my elevator by two EMTs and was crying, “This is gonna cost so much money!” And then I got in my room and someone has been having a giant marijuana party in here! Did I mention it’s “Truck Week” here so the crowd is an interesting one? Guys, I just got done reading three missionary biographies in a little over 48 hours, and now I feel like I am living that reality! HA!
Here’s the thing. When we step out in faith, things happen. Great things and weird things and sometimes scary things, but this is where we don’t control every last bit of it all and we leave room for God to do the amazing. As an older woman with many children, much of my life is spent controlling things. A home, menus, parties, finances, education. It gets so ingrained in us as women that we forget what it feels like to let go. We forget what it means to leave space for God to plan, to initiate, to invite us into things that don’t make sense, that push us out of our safe comfort zones.
Today has been a good day to release. To trust. To eschew fear or anxiety, but to rest in God and His perfect provision and care. I need this adventure of trusting God with the small details of life, and to watch Him care for me. This little story isn’t over. I’ll be here for the next few days. Please pray my car gets fixed without fuss? And that I have eyes to see and ears to hear what God is doing all around me.
Aimee