Week Twenty-Nine - Little Graces

We made it! Our Wednesday flight was delayed by an hour and a half, which meant we did not make the planned overseas flight out of Atlanta. But there were little graces planted throughout the trip. 

Grace One - they check all our bags straight through to Birmingham, UK, no extra charge, so all we had to deal with was our backpacks.

Grace Two - I overheard the attendant reserving a seat for another passenger in a similar situation, so I went up to check on our flight before we boarded and got the same assurance. We would be on the 10:41 flight Wednesday night, and when we got to Atlanta, they would sort the passes. So we boarded feeling assured.

Grace Three - Upon arrival in Atlanta, Tom was met with wheelchair assistance: something Miss Mary had advised due to the original anticipated short layover, but something we thought had been lost because of the changes. This little grace not only meant Tom didn't have to walk so far and so fast.

Grace Four - our little pusher girl knew where to take us to get the boarding passes for the next flight and she took us straight to the gate. 

Grace Five - We were booked to be seated on opposite sides of the plane, so I went to the attendant again, and he moved us to seats together for the long flight. 

Grace Six - Tom was met again in Amsterdam with a wheelchair and then boarded onto an electric trolley (and I rode too), which again took us straight to the gate for our final flight, Grace Seven -which had changed with no warning, but our driver knew. 

Grace Eight - We didn't have that panicked married-couple discussion about where to go or what to do next! We just knew God was taking care of us. 

Grace Nine - a wheelchair took us straight to customs and through immigration with no waiting, and then to the luggage carousel. Tom loved that! We assured the young man that we could take it from here and waited for our luggage, but it did not arrive. So after filling out the forms for lost luggage, we called for our pickup man. 

Grace Ten - We anticipated Bro McHenry arriving to collect us in our car, but he came in his, which would not have held all our luggage. (God knew!) 

We settled back for a nice drive home - he took the scenic route - and we got home about 24 hours after we had begun our journey in Springfield, knowing the grace of God had gone before us. 

Looking for graces in the midst of testing and turmoil is a valuable skill that helps you obey Scripture and keep your heart calm. 

"In everything give thanks" 1 Thessalonians 5:18. I'm thankful for the three extra days with my friend, and thankful for those wheelchairs! 

God's hand was all over last week, and His hand continues to grace us with blessings. "Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits" Psalm 68:19.

Oh, and the luggage was delivered the next day - Grace Eleven!

Week Twenty-Eight - Stuck

I thought I'd be writing this blog in the air. We were to fly back to the UK on Monday, but our flight was canceled. We thought we would fly on Tuesday but arrived to find another cancellation. Now, I anticipate flying this afternoon. Time will tell. 

Meanwhile, we are stuck in the Ozarks. And that's not a bad thing. It has afforded time to spend with my precious friend, Mary. She is providing room, board, transport, and sweet fellowship while we wait and enjoy the Lord's gift of time together.

I used to grow anxious when life stuck me in uncomfortable or unexpected spots. Like when I felt my little ones would never grow up and I was stuck as a young mother. Or when we were so poor we lived on hot dogs and pot pies. Or when I found myself begging for showers of blessing instead of appreciating each little drop of mercy falling around me. These places felt like they would never go away, like I'd never find release. But I've learned they are only seasons of time, each with its own challenges and lessons, helping me grow less anxious over time.

Are you stuck in a spot today? Does it seem the Lord has every door closed? Is every day dark? Every situation confining? That's not necessarily a bad thing. This is a tiny portion of life, a moment of time designed by God. It has a purpose, and your acceptance or rejection of it reveals your faith and often determines how long you remain stuck.

You can scream and cry, pout and feel sorry for yourself, shout in anger, and raise your fist, but that won't change anything. You are still grounded!

Or, you can look at the mercy drops around you and yield your spirit to the Word - your "times are in God's hand." The ebb and flow of life are in His control, and He "waters every moment." He knows exactly where you are and why. You aren't stuck - you are in a holding pattern.

The children do grow up, and you become a grandmother. You move on from hot dogs to steak, and the showers of blessing are an accumulation of little mercy drops that water your way to joy. So enjoy the stuck spot - it's God's doing. 

Take time to rest and appreciate where you are. Get in and learn the lesson designed for you, and let your faith grow. And when you get unstuck, remember to move forward with thankfulness and joy.

Hopefully, I'll write to you next week from over the pond and share the joy of my little stuck spot.

Week Twenty-Seven - Unmovable

As America prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, it makes a good time to reflect on what made it great in the first place. She consists of a melting pot of people, a mix of cultures, and a variety of political persuasions. This was true from the beginning. 

As the founding fathers debated and scrutinized the guiding documents, they had one main point upon which they agreed: the nation would be built upon faith in God. This standard would be the guiding light for America.

In Psalm 62, David makes a corollary point. "I shall not be moved" (Psalm 62:6). This is a psalm of confidence. With men's vanity on one side and their deceit on the other, David positions himself squarely on God. He only is his rock and defence. With God by his side, David declares he shall not be moved. "Power," he says, "belongeth unto God." So, he places his full trust there.

Our world, just as David's, is full of vanity and deceit. Voices cry out, calling us to one side or the other, yet they sway back and forth like "a bowing wall" or a "tottering fence" (Psalm 62:3). These are not the voices that lead us to stability, nor are they the voices to which we should yield.

In Psalm 60:11 and 108:12, David says, "Vain is the help of men." Therefore, if we desire a stable life, our trust must be fully placed in God alone. He must be our source for all things - wisdom, direction, fulfillment, joy, comfort, assurance, peace, etc. "He only," David says. (Psalm 62:2, 6) Only He is our rock and defense.

If you are looking for anything other than God to meet your need, you are looking in the wrong place. If you are expecting any man or politician to correct the woes of our land or lead us into peace, you are trusting in an uncertain expectation. Only God can do these things. He puts up kings and takes them down. "Vain is the help of men," but "with God all things are possible."

Look again at these truths that made David unmovable. God only was his rock, defence, and salvation. All power belongs to God. And, as David closes the psalm, "Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy; for thou renderest to every man according to his work" (Psalm 62:12).

When we take hold of absolute truth in God's sovereignty and power and make ourselves accountable to it, we, too, will remain unmovable. This must be the standard and guiding light of our individual lives as well as of our country.

So as you celebrate this weekend, focus your thanksgiving, praise, and joy on God—the God in whom we trust—and pray that we remain unmovable in our faith.