Suitcases and Horizons

The traveling I do is often misunderstood. Some folks think that just because I get on an airplane and go to some faraway place that I must be on vacation. Others realize that I am in the service of our Risen Savior as He blesses me with outreach opportunities for sharing the gospel. Though ministry to those the Father sets before me is the stated purpose, the trips I make have another eternal impact.

Case in point:
Last week I realized that it was only seven more days until I needed to be ready to go to the airport. I pulled out my suitcases and piled the items I was preparing to take with me into them. Curt thoughtfully weighed the two I would be checking and the larger carry-on. They were within the allowable limits so I relaxed with a sigh and went on with other tasks.

This particular journey will include three destinations. Each stop will entail a variety of activities. There will be a mixture of group gatherings, family meetings, and individual consultations. As you can imagine, besides the packing, there are a lot of other preparations that need to be made for the trip. In the midst of all of that, there are also the task before me at home. It's important to take care of the responsibilities I will leave behind. Needless to say I was busy.

A few days ago the Lord gave me the impetus to move along in the packing process. This step usually doesn't happen until much closer to my departure date, but my main goal for this trip is to "remain in the vine" so I responded. John 15:4 I dutifully organized the materials and placed them into the available space. As the suitcases I intended to check filled up I moved things into the larger carry-on. When I was done I realized there was no room left for clothes. 8-0 I decided to continue "resting" which took me to the other activities of my day.

The next day I began the process of laying out clothes. I concentrated on choosing the bare minimum - underwear, one skirt, two sleeveless and two short-sleeve blouses, a spare pair of slacks. I switched from my handy little cosmetic carrier to a zip-lock baggie for my toiletry items. Hurrah, I was able to tucked everything into hollow corners. Then it was time to do the final weight check.

At first I thought everything was fine though the larger carry-on was way too heavy. I figured I'd just have to get help to put it into the overhead compartment ... and disguise how much effort I'd have to use to drag it around with me. ;-) Then Curt discovered that the airlines have changed the weight limits for baggage. Oh no!! My mind started to race. "What am I going to do with the six pounds I need to take out of that one bag." "There simply is no more space and I can't add another carry-on, what now?" "I only have three more days until I fly out." "I can't leave any of this stuff behind."

The Spirit delivered the warning, "Remember, Sandra, your number one goal for this trip is to 'rest in the vine'." Thank you, Jesus.

I turned my mind to the Word of God and the promises it contains. "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6, Hebrews 13:5 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5,6 "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10

I settled back into the Truth. I was able to release the concern and tension and put the solution into God's omnipotent hands. After all, there were plenty of other tasks to occupy my time and attention. I shared the need through an email to a group of colleagues asking for their prayer and put down the topic completely. It was a blessed opportunity to let God be God. Amen

Through a series of events that I will keep to myself for the privacy of those involved, God put a check into my hands for the amount needed to check a third suitcase - less than 24 hours after the request for prayer was posted. Hallelujah! I need to stick with my limited wardrobe and the zip-lock baggie, but nothing has to be left behind. Oh, the Lord is good! His mercies are not only new every morning. They are sweet!

Yes, this is an incredible victory for the benefit of those God has called me/us to serve. The curriculum and materials I will deliver will be a serious encouragement to their growth in grace as they build families under Christ. I praise His Holy Name for these blessings. There is another level to the dynamic that is becoming more and more obvious as the years unfold. God uses scenarios like this on each trip to encourage, reinforce and refine for my faith. Only He would know about the connection I would make with horizons.

I was praising God for the various details of His intervention - the funds for the additional suitcase, the hearts He moved to make it happen, the speedy timing, etc. Of course the peace that I'd been given was high on the list. I began to ponder God's faithfulness in allowing me to meet the #1 goal of this particular journey in the face of possible catastrophe. Hmmm, how did He work in me to accomplish such a breakthrough?

I was reminded of a particular skill taught me by my father, a retired member of the US Coast Guard. When you're out on the water and you're looking for something such as a buoy or landmark, the best way to find it is to scan the horizon. I've had plenty of opportunity to verify his words as I was raised on the ocean. My experience confirms the truth of His statement. If my eyes fixate on a specific spot, I am unable to locate anything. If I move them back and forth across the horizon, I am much more likely to pick up the marker I seek.

Curt has confirmed the same training and results from his time at sea with the US Navy. When he went to serve his night duty watch, he was expected to arrive early so that his eyes would get accustomed to the dark. Then he was to constantly scan the horizon to pick up any objects that might appear. In this way, he was more likely to be successful. That was the normal responsibility of anyone on watch, day or night.

The situation with the suitcases could have followed the old pattern of anxiety, confusion, frustration, and so on. Instead God intervened and short-circuited all of that unhealthy, unproductive angst. He led me to continue in the other tasks before me as I waited on Him for the solution. Philippians 2:13 I was to "remain in the vine" as I went about my routine. My reward came when His provision popped up on the horizon.

This latest episode in my divine education is a blessed one. I praise God that His answer was so specific and speedy. It is not always so, but He knows my needs and desires and always responds perfectly. This glimpse is especially poignant. I can assure you that in the future I will be much more likely to apply my head and hands to the task before me as my eyes scan the horizon for my Daddy's intervention.

What victory there is in yielding to the Father's will. What joy there is in trusting the "ever-present help in trouble". Psalm 46:1