delays – Moving Forward

Missed Connection

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart- Jeremiah 29:13

Have you ever missed a connection because your flight was delayed? I think this is one of my biggest fears when traveling. You see I am a careful planner. I think and rethink everything. From packing to schedules to airport maps to seats, to connection times.

Recently my husband and I traveled to France and despite all my careful planning- we had flight delays. Thankfully they didn’t make us miss any connecting flights, but it was a bit unnerving when we arrived at our home airport and immediately faced a delay and an oversold flight. So, despite my best efforts in planning the trip and buying the tickets, most of my trip was out of my control. As we waited for the plane to arrive to our gate and the announcements were being made offering up to $900 to voluntarily give up the oversold seats, I wondered what would happen if no one gave up their seat? Who would get bumped? Us? But this was my long awaited trip to Paris! What if I missed my connection to fly to France?

Thankfully someone must have volunteered to leave on a later flight, for after a few hours waiting, we were boarded and spent an amazing time in France. Until it happened again on the return trip. Our flight was delayed by four hours and the communication was a bit delayed so that we received information on the delay after we arrived at the airport and it forced us to spend several hours playing a cat and mouse game looking for the correct gate and time of flight departure. And then we experienced the no announcements of the boarding beginning. I’m not sure if this is typical for European airports, but I have gotten accustomed to the constant announcements in US airports telling everyone of any updates, and most importantly, when boarding has started and which group should line up for boarding. If we hadn’t been paying attention we would have been waiting at the wrong gate and no one announced when the boarding had started. Once again , I wondered if some people would miss their flight and miss their connections.

We had to seek our flight and gate and boarding time our selves, much in the way that individuals seek God. God initiates this pursuit, but never forces the individual to comply. As the verse above written by the Prophet Jeremiah mentions, we are called to seek God with all our heart. God nudges us but we must be the one to ask questions, seeking Him and finding Him when we are diligent. He isn’t hiding, but He wants us to call out to Him.

I thought about this topic this week after overhearing a conversation between two people looking for a church to attend. And I realized it wasn’t that they weren’t finding any churches it was that they weren’t finding a place of connection with God. The churches they had visited seemed to all have a similar problem- they felt out of place with others in church and with the services, music, messages and pastors. They agreed that the churches seemed out of touch with people and remaind very dogmatic and ritualistic. And as I thought about it, I realized what they were seeking was a connection, and as I mentioned with both God and other believers. But, these churches had failed in providing a place for connection.

Much like my over sold and delayed flight as well as my flight with the lack of communication on how to board and what gate, these churches were overselling their product while forgetting to communicate the Gospel. They had the buildings- the plane- the pilot- the pastor- but the plane was outdated, not maintained, and the pilot not skilled and up to date with newer systems. Imagine if you will showing up to a flight only to find an old bi-plane at the gate, instead of a Boeing or Airbus jet.

Also, imagine a ritualistic service that followed procedures, but failed to tell its passengers that they were about to board the plane and take off, leaving many behind at the airport.

So, as it is up to the individual to seek connection with God in a relationship with Him through Jesus, apart from all the external trappings of musical styles, teaching styles, church buildings, my challenge this week is for the churches themselves. Are you providing a space to find God?Are you promoting seeking God with all your heart and are you communicating the Gospel- telling everyone how to be saved and enter a connected relationship with God. Or are you part of the missed connections? -God Bless, Nancy

Drone’s Eye View

Do you like being stuck in traffic? Me neither. Have you ever been in one of those huge traffic jams on an interstate? When the traffic is moving along great and then all of a sudden a chorus of red tail lights appears up ahead like a wave at a baseball game. It starts in the distance and then it is right upon you, the car in front you and then follows with the car behind you. A sea of red tail lights as far as the eye can see. Everything comes to a stop. And you wait. And wait. And after a few minutes you begin to wonder how long will you be stopped? I mean you have places to get to. Everyone does. But you can’t get anywhere because all the cars around you have stopped and you’re stuck in the middle of this giant traffic jam. The worst is when everyone turns off their engines and gets out of their cars. My family and I were once stopped for two hours on the interstate while traveling. And it was in the middle of summer. It wasn’t fun.

The first question that usually arises in this situation is “What is going on, or what happened?” The second is usually “How long are we going to be stopped?” You can’t see far enough ahead to see what happened, but you can see behind you as the long line of stopped cars grows further into the distance. With social media and available apps, sometimes we can find out just how far up the road the traffic has stopped and if there are any alternate routes. But, what would be really nice to have is a drone.

My oldest son, Michael, has a drone and is an officially FAA licensed drone pilot. I am amazed at the photos and video footage he takes as a real estate photographer with his drone. As is commonly heard in real estate “Location, location, location” A drone can give potential buyers the perspective of what the house or land looks like from above. It can see how far the property is located from the beach, schools, restaurants, or what lies around it. This view is especially helpful when viewing parcels of land on which there are no buildings to photograph, just an empty lot. The boundary lines can be edited in later, but gives the overall size of the lot, that would not be appreciated as well if seen from a ground level perspective.

I would like to have a drone of my own. Not the kind to view the traffic jams-although that would be sweet- but a drone for life. I do not like being stuck anywhere, including in the valleys of life. When you are in a valley you can’t see up out of the lower level you are in. It is not a mountain top experience where you can see the path laid out before you. Those times when you don’t seem to be moving forward, those times of waiting and wondering, “How long will I be stopped” “I wonder what is going on?” I would fly my life drone up and on ahead to see what the stop was and how long ahead I need to travel until the jam is cleared. That would be awesome. Then I could just review the video footage and know confidently just how long this valley of stopping and waiting would be.

Of course, there is no such thing as a life drone. So, I just need to stop, relax, turn off the engines of my own plans and timing as I attempt to move forward. I can either enjoy this time or be miserable. Either way, the traffic isn’t going anywhere until the road clears. I do not have the perspective I need to see on ahead in life, but I do know someone who does. I don’t need an app for that. Prayer and seeking God’s perspective doesn’t need an app. It just needs time. The kind of time when I’m stopped in a valley of waiting. Waiting can be something God uses to slow us down long enough to stop, pray, and pick up the Bible and read. We can find the perspective we need when we stop and pray and read. God might not show us everything at once, but He might provide encouragement that will help us as we wait.

This morning I was reminded that God’s perspective is not mine. As Proverbs says, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps” (Pr. 16:9, ESV). We might think we know what we are doing, the where we are going to and the when we are expecting to arrive, but we don’t. We do not have God’s perspective. As Solomon observes, “All of the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit” (Pr. 16:2, ESV). God’s weighing the spirit, is like the bigger perspective of the drone. God can see what direction we are heading on our own and what lies ahead of us if we continue on this path. He is concerned with our hearts and with our spirit, not just with a physical direction we’re heading. Sometimes the valleys of waiting and stopping are to help us become what God intends for us, not just to stop us from getting from point A to point B.

If you feel like you are stuck in a traffic jam of life let me challenge you to take a step back and trust God . He knows what is going on up ahead. If you want to understand His perspective, seek Him in prayer and in the Bible. That is my challenge for myself today- God Bless- Nancy

Setbacks

Some of the best ideas I get when deciding what to write in this blog come from my family. Just last night my Husband made a very good observation; we have a bike seat but no bike and pillows but no bed. Let me explain what he meant. See a couple weeks ago I ordered an exercise bike. Nothing fancy, just something to help my husband get back in shape. Oh, and me too! After reading all the reviews online I decided that we also needed a gel seat thingy to go on the bike. Well, the gel seat arrived, but the bike never did. They lost it. Just how do you lose a 76 pound box with two day shipping is beyond me. Oh well, so we have a seat and no bike.

Later that same week we ordered a new mattress and yesterday the delivery company called and said they have the pillows, but the mattress wasn’t loaded on the truck. So…. I will have pillows but no bed. The mattress will be delivered sometime later in the week, but until then its just the pillows.. And the bike seat. Have you ever had something like this happen? We make our plans and purchase our items, but then there is a setback. A wait. How do you handle the wait?

I have had many setbacks over my years on this planet. Some turned out to be really good, like issues with infertility. We now have three grown children, but I recall the times when everyone I know was getting pregnant. It was tough. To wait. The biggest thing I have learned is that no matter how upset or angry I might get when things do not turn out the way I want when I want them to is it doesn’t change a thing.

I have also learned that people can make mistakes with orders and getting upset and angry at the other person, whether it is a store or a delivery company, doesn’t do much good. For one thing, it doesn’t make a lost bike reappear, or a mattress suddenly load itself on a truck. It doesn’t change my mood either. But, showing grace towards others can. We all can make mistakes, so wouldn’t it be nice if someone would extend some grace towards us when we mess up? And how we handle the wait when we have a setback is what God is trying to help us with. To grow us up, so we won’t get upset over the little things in life. He is helping us to learn to trust Him.

If you have felt like learning to wait and trusting God is difficult, you’re not alone. King David wrote about trusting God in the Psalms. It is a good book of the Bible to read when you’re struggling. It has helped me. In Psalm 20:7 David writes, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of our Lord our God” (NIV). Sounds good huh? But then keep reading to chapter 22 when David cries out to God and exclaims “Oh my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer” (vs. 2, NIV). So, what’s up with that? Well, what you’ll find is David’s heartfelt conversation with God in prayer and praise. He complains at times out of his desperation, but then remembers how God has been there for him in the past and ends up praising God for His goodness.

See, sometimes we want to believe all those people in the Bible were so perfect and so spiritual without major problems or setbacks, but in reality they are like us. Or we are like them, if you will. As you read the Bible you will discover that the people God worked through were not the mighty spiritual giants, but just people like us. The ones that make mistakes and the ones who have setbacks. The ones without bikes for our seats or beds for our pillows. The ones who have to learn to trust Him and not ourselves. God Bless -Nancy