Every day

the imperfections of life

show up

 

and those things,

those disappointments,

that hard stuff

threatens to hold us …

 

My husband and I, we have been anticipating the trip of a lifetime for many months.  A touring trip to the Holy Land, to Israel.  And this wasn’t supposed to be just any vacation, but a chance to walk where Jesus walked.   To be at the heart of His heart.  And to do this with 43 other people from our church.  We gave up our yearly trip to Uganda to go on this trip.

We counted down the days until our departure.

And the day finally arrived on Tuesday of this week.  Our group all smiles, met at the airport, luggage in tow.  We arrived extra early since our group was so big.  Everyone got there on time, and we talked and got to know one another at the gate.

Excitement was in the air.

 

 

People started to stand in boarding lines, while we stayed seated, preferring to sit in the terminal than in the still plane.  As we talked with our friends, we kept glancing up at the lines.  Why weren’t they moving?

“There has been a slight delay in boarding.  We appreciate your patience.”

Didn’t give it another thought.  Then the same announcement came again.

Then this.

“A ladder has hit the side of the plane and they are assessing the damage.”

Ok.  How much damage can a ladder do to the side of an airplane?

“I’m sorry to tell you, but a ladder has hit the engine, doing damage to it, and the pilot has made the decision to cancel this flight.  You can re-book a flight by going back to the ticketing counter.”

Wait a minute.  What?!

A LADDER canceled our flight???

Hmmmmm…

This was inconvenient.  But we’ll be on another flight in no time.

 

in

no

time

 

But in the imperfect

we look to The Perfect

 

We handle our circumstances with a loose grip

and we hold tight to God

 

We know not the complexity

of Sovereignty over Billions

 

in the imperfect

 

And remind ourselves

it’s not all about me

 

Our Missions Pastor, our fearless leader, handled all with wisdom and grace, and we all prayed.  Back at our homes we waited for word.

Each hour and each day that passed by, I felt the loss of time in the place I dreamed to go.  Each site, recorded in the Bible, I wouldn’t see.

We were scheduled to leave on Tuesday, and with such a large group, we now are scheduled to leave on Friday.

Days lost…

And I felt peaceful and I felt ok with it all.  Until last night.  All I felt was sad and disappointed.

 

All our preparations

all our planning 

 

are really subject to the brokenness

of this world

 

and the guiding hand

of Almighty God

 

Those plans sit in our heads

and sometimes

 

that’s where they stay,

never to come to fruition

 

And we learn to say

“It is well with my soul.”

 

When I woke up this morning, sharing my heart with the One who knows me best, He reminded me about something I said to my husband at the airport on Tuesday.

“When you are in love, you are content to be anywhere as long as you can be with that person.”

I want to be in Israel today, but I’m at home.  The sadness is real and the disappointment is real.  But I know I don’t have to sit in that place.

God gives perspective.

 

My Love dwelled in the Holy Land

walking among us

 

And now He dwells here with me

in my heart

 

and I am blessed

 

He is teaching me

contentment

in Him

 

Lord-willing, I look forward to sharing with you about our experiences in Israel.  I bow my plans to my Sovereign’s nod.

 

– Susie Stewart

 

 

 

The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish.

– John 1:14 (NIV)

 

A person may plan his own journey, but the Lord directs his steps.

– Proverbs 16:9 (GW)

 

For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster to give you a future and a hope.

– Jeremiah 29:11 (AMP)

 

Don’t be anxious about things; instead, pray. Pray about everything. He longs to hear your requests, so talk to God about your needs and be thankful for what has come.  And know that the peace of God (a peace that is beyond any and all of our human understanding) will stand watch over your hearts and minds in Jesus, the Anointed One.

– Philippians 4:6,7 (VOICE)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart