100526: Reflections from my travels…

I’ve spent today reflecting back over the last seventeen days of travel that I’ve gone through.  There is one thing that stands out – I have spent a lot of time waiting and rushing through airports and other far away places.

I have gone through security check lines, baggage check-in and baggage claim, international customs and local customs.  I’ve run through airports to try to get to my gate hoping that I would not miss my flight.  Some I’ve missed, some I’ve made.  I’ve spent hours waiting in airports and on airplanes watching the clock knowing that my chance to make the connecting flight was going down the tube.  I rushed through foreign airports trying to read French, Hungarian and who knows what else.  I’ve ridden on trams, buses, in taxis and cars (very small cars), walked, pushed (been pushed); bottom line, I feel like I have run one long gauntlet for the last two+ weeks. 

But I’ve learned something; I’ve learned that things work out when God’s in charge.  (Ground-breaking isn’t it? / You’d thought I would have learned that a long time ago).

It all started on the way to the airport for this last trip.  Sonja was driving me over to the airport and we were going through the details of my trip.  I had done well.  I had packed the day before, got all my scheduling and responsibilities lined up and I was feeling good about things until I realized that I had left most of my cash back home!  There was some doubt as to whether or not I would be able to use my credit card in Romania and so I had been instructed to bring extra cash and here I was almost at the airport with not enough time to go back to the house to get my cash money.  My heart sank, what was I to do?  I was about to depart for a foreign country that I had never gone to before not certain I had enough money to get me there and back.

All I could do was get the maximum amount allowed from my ATM machine and hope for the best.  But I had one more option / I decided to let God be in charge.  I know, that sounds a little obvious / but the truth is many times we pull and push against God’s best for our lives – we like to be in charge and, up to a point, God will let us. 

So, standing there in the Charlotte airport, I whispered to God, “Father God, I’ve done my best, now I’m putting everything in your hand.  You know what’s best, you know what is coming up and you know how to get me through it.  So from this moment forth, you’re in charge.  Whatever happens I am going to take as your will and I’m not going to worry about it.” 

From that moment on I had a peace about the entire trip.  When I’d find myself getting worried or panicky I would remind myself, “Wait a minute, God’s in charge here.  Whatever happens is from Him and I know He has my best interest at heart.  Therefore, I’m going to do my best and leave the results with Him.”  And every time, without exception, God would help me get in the right line, bring someone alone to help me or in some other way facilitate my steps.  Looking back, I can see time after time God’s hand helping me throughout the entire journey.

And by the way, I never touched the extra money I got out of the ATM machine!

So why share this?  I bet you’re like me also.  In spite of your best efforts things go wrong.  Schedules get tight, resources seem scarce and the way gets hectic.  But I remind you, let God be in charge.  Turn it all over to Him.  Do your best and then take everything that happens as a part of God’s plan and path for you.  Take it one step at a time and one decision at a time.  I believe, without exception, that if you will, you will discover that God will not let you down.

You can take that to the bank!

Blessing from the ONE in charge and best wishes from the one that’s not,

david l. kemp

Quotation fo the day:

• “The Christian life is not a series of ups and downs. It is rather a process of “ins and outs.”  God works in, and we work out.”  _Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Joyful, p. 70