Traveling Together

I’ve been an off-to-adventures traveler the last few weeks—family emergency. I left in a hurry…two hours to pack for a nearly two week trip. Emotions hit me about halfway home from work and I couldn’t think straight enough to pack or plan anything. I couldn’t justify my emotions interfering with my logic. I guess when you start feeling your emotions after a decade of relatively none…you have to learn what logical is and emotions are not logical.

A friend showed up to help me pack and plan. I would be gone to one state for a few days and then off to another for a week and I couldn’t figure out how to fit the four days of planning I needed to do into two hours. She came and did it all while I paced.

I am surrounded by loving friends and family who helped to arrange nearly everything. We need people to hold us up sometimes. Friends who step in to manage when we can’t. Who call us who we truly are and speak truth.

Sweet friendships refresh the soul and awaken our hearts with joy, for good friends are like the anointing oil that yields the fragrant incense of God’s presence. –Proverbs 27:9 (TPT)

When I am weak…God is strong. He showed up every step of the way and took care of the details.

I like traveling. I like the going and the flying—the time away to to focus. These were not the best circumstances but I was going to try and work through my book stack on the flight.

I took my seat, arranged everything carefully and pulled out a book. I was ready to read for an hour and twelve minutes.

What I didn’t know was that God assigned seats!

Each leg of my trip I got to meet someone new who had an amazing God-story. Each part was evidence of God caring for me on my journey; teaching and guiding with love. Showing me how He works in everyone around me; how well He loves all His children.

I’ve traveled plenty of times before and not seen evidence of anything except the adventure. I’ve seen just what I was looking for; a busy system that I plugged into.

When you look for God and allow Him to work…He shows up in amazing and unexpected ways. Choosing to trust God and look for His hand brings deep joy.

The first flight I spent getting to know a very lovely woman who had 16 grandchildren. She recalled each of them and what they liked to do with great love and pride. She knew what they aspired to…what their personalities said about them and who they want to be. She loves them well.

She had also experienced September 11th in a panic; she had just retired as a flight attendant a few months before and had dozens of friends in the air. That day held many miracles for her friends. God’s hand kept more than a few friends from the flight that went down in D.C., and kept a couple off the planes that went to New York. She was grateful and aware of His presence.

She could have easily been in the air if she hadn’t been retired. Now she had grandchildren off to school pursuing art, law and the ministry. She was thankful to be able to see everything.

(See how I show my love! I am faithful. I provide and protect.)

We chatted all the way to the exit. I honestly was a little saddened that I wouldn’t see her again. God-planned friendships sink heart-deep.

The next flight I sat by the window, hoping for some photos before the sun set over California. I would read when it was dark.

An Indian man joined me shortly after. I opened my book just as he leaned over…

“Are you traveling to see family?”

“Yes, from Washington. You?”

“I just came from seeing my daughter. She left to Japan to teach English, I am so proud of her.”

He spent the next two hours beaming from ear to ear. Recalling stories of his daughter’s childhood and his joy in her. She had made some pretty big mistakes, but he was so proud of how she had recovered from them. He didn’t want to travel all that much, but her? She had a heart for adventure and shared all her photos with him on a weekly basis. He traveled through her eyes.

She visited caves and cliffs, lit-up forests and bright cityscapes. He marveled at her brave and daring personality and overflowed with joy almost to tears.

(This is how a father loves his children. It’s not about their mistakes or achievements, but it is about enjoying their joy…pouring life into them so they can stand tall and know who they are.)

“She asked me once if I wished I had a son.”

“Really…why?”

“We have a very traditional family. It was important to my parents and my wife’s parents that we have a boy to carry the family name.”

“What did you tell her?”

“I told her that I didn’t need a son. I had sunshine. I had the girl that God wanted me to have and I was so proud of her and blessed by her that I didn’t need a son. I wanted her as this girl that I was supposed to have. She could do anything a boy could do, but didn’t need to. She was my daughter and that was enough”

(You are my daughter and you are enough too. You don’t need to try so hard to get what you already have.)

Peaceful tears welled. Hearing God acknowledge that He loves His children more than even this man loves his only daughter was softly overwhelming.

The sun had begun to go down by now. I was thankful. In the dimly lit cabin no one could see my wondering-awestruck tears.

As I glanced out the window I saw an amazing horizon painted with the brightest sunset colors. I snapped the clearest photo I could of the spectacle.

“You like to take pictures too.” My companion noted.

“Yes. I don’t know why, I just like to take pictures when something compels me.”

“Everything you do, every picture you take..is a reflection of something in you. It is the way you see something that strikes you; the way you see God. Others don’t see that. They need you to show them what you see.”

I nodded quietly. We shared photos and he shared stories. All too soon the plan began to land. I don’t think either of us noticed until we taxied to the terminal.

I was sad to see this new friend go too.

“Why are you connecting me to all these amazing people? Thank you, Lord for this expression of love. I won’t see them again and I’m a sad to see them go”

Even if it’s just a season—a moment; the people we meet can touch our lives. And we can touch theirs. Our interaction and even our words can make a difference to someone else.

God can speak through strangers.

I was surrounded by a soft but sure love. A thousand bread-crumb moments from the beginning of the week until now had built up into a solid trail of strength. These are the moments I needed to remember.

Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. Psalms 103:2

A whirlwind packing session, drive to the airport and two flights. I just had to get an Uber to where I was staying. I am going to openly admit I was a little fearful of using it for the first time. Which might seem silly, but it was 10:30pm and I was headed 45 minutes away to a house I’d never been to. I knew family was waiting for me, but I couldn’t give any instructions or help if GPS acted up.

I typed in all the info, hit “find car” and a car was on the way to pick me up. I called to let my husband know who would be picking me up…just in case.

The driver helped me with my luggage and we were off. We started with the awkward hellos. I was determined to find something to talk about rather than sit for an awkward hour.

God arranges Ubers too.

We started talking about weather and jobs but before long we started finding common ground. Not just little similarities but major components to each of our personal stories.

We had both been delivered from depression and God had spoken powerfully to both of us. We also both felt called to share this journey He had taken us on–Called to guide and help others. We had also both gotten an opportunity to publicly speak and share.

Of all the cars and all the passengers. There were so many coincidences that there was no mistaking the divine appointment we shared that night.

So many God-moments, lessons and miracles filled the car as we drove…to say it felt like finding long-lost family is an understatement. The trip flew by in what felt like only 5 minutes. We both agreed it was too short.

It was truly an experience of Christian-Joy that I have not felt before. A gift, to share in joy and love, before arriving.

I have gone through life not looking; not seeing what was in front of me. Yes, God could have done something miraculous to get my attention; so big that I would have seen it without looking.

He doesn’t work that way. He gave us free will—even if that means we turn around and avoid His love.

He showers us with gifts and abundant blessings; I am blessed.

I have kept walking this journey…one step at a time, week after week. It doesn’t really get easier, but it is different each day. I have had times where I want to keep going and times where I want to quit. There is not a guarantee that if I keep seeking Him I won’t have any more trouble. In fact it’s the opposite.

But there are moments on this journey that are worth more than I ever expected; a richer treasure than I could have hoped to possess.

Each time I sit down to write I pray. I pray for you and for me, for our journey together and all that God has set for us to discover together. I am grateful to not be doing this alone.

It is worth stepping out. Each time the pain of falling hits me hard…I still question this. Each time I am overwhelmed by His abundance…I re-dedicate myself to this graveled trail.

It is worth it. Worth the falls and the doubts, worth the joy.

His abundant love is an all-encompassing grace for the journey.