Tag: Travel

Regrets

Oohhhh. I have a few. Do you?

In the past, if I had a sleepless night, I have run through all of the regrets I have.

What a waste of energy. I feel like that is a perfect way for my day to get derailed. And, God is certainly not behind that.

In some situations, there aren’t “do overs” and sometimes our miss “takes” have some serious consequences. Sometimes we have done things simply out of ignorance. Other times, we have done things out of rebellion. Sometime we have deliberately done things or deliberately not done things without truly understanding the ramifications. Have you ever done something even when you were “old enough to know better?” Yea, me too.

How do you deal with your regrets?

Here is what I try to do:

a) realize and admit to the misstep, mistake, sin — whatever it is.
b) recognize that there may be some damage that cannot be reversed
c) if I was doing the best I knew at the time, accept that
d) ask for forgiveness from God and, if possible, from the others who were impacted
e) forgive myself
f) bring it back to God when I am stuck at any one of these steps

As humans, we make mistakes, missteps, and we sin. Sometimes we do this out of ignorance and sometimes it is very deliberate. And there are times that the aftermath of our decisions has some devastating consequences. We are sinners and we are living and working with other sinners. It can be ugly out there. It can be ugly in my heart.

But, God — He takes all of it. He can work through all of it. He can handle all of it. He can forgive all of it. He can redeem all of it.

God can.

Let Him do what only He can do. It won’t make everything rosy and perfect. But, He will bring it together in a message of love, grace, mercy, forgiveness, and redemption — over time.

Waiting

We were in on a fun event over the weekend. Our youngest was coming home from Spain after being gone for 9 months and she created an elaborate scheme because wanted to surprise her sister who thought she was coming home a week later.

Things went pretty smoothly — although keeping track of all the “misleadings” was an awful lot of work. And there there were the delays: technical delays from New Jersey. The plane needed some mechanical work.

I couldn’t really argue with that, could I? I knew this plane was going to have precious cargo on it!!!

So, we readjusted our plans several times and tried to think of how we could still have a surprise. A little delay wasn’t a big problem. But the delay kept getting longer and longer. And pretty soon we were stuck spilling the beans to the sister who had no idea the real reason behind why we were visiting her.

We told the very confused and very excited state-side sister that the world traveling sister was coming home right now and we had to go get her from the airport. She was excited, of course, but trying to figure what clues she missed.

And so there would still be an element of surprise we decided it would be fun to surprise the surpriser!

We did a double reverse — when you have concocted a plan (surprise) but it flips around and you are the receiver of the surprise.

We let the state-side sister be the first one to greet the traveling sister at the airport. And, it worked!

So, our youngest is back “home” for a few months. She is hoping the babies (a niece and nephew) will remember her and she is looking forward to hanging out with the fam.

Sometimes our plans are sidetracked and delayed. It’s just how life goes. Sometimes there are important mechanical delays. Sometimes things just don’t go the way we wanted them to. And, sometimes, you get to be in on a surprise from start to finish. Knowing the big picture and having a well thought out plan does not mean things will go the way you want.

And that’s ok. And sometimes it is better. God always has a bigger picture in mind. I just have to keep trusting Him and doing the next thing!

Boxes

I have packed and unpacked a box or two in my life. I suspect that is just a part of my life. We ship out orders and we unpack product. We pack up for festivals and unpack and then repack. And then we do it again. I am a good packer though not a perfect one. When it comes to packing our vehicle for events or when we move, my hubby is the man! It seems he enjoys the challenge of playing “Tetris”. Even if he doesn’t really enjoy it, he does a great job so I back away and let him have at it.

Sometimes my boxes are a time capsule of memories.  Good, bad, fragile, pointless, expired, new, fat clothes, skinny clothes, things from my mom, things from my kids, a sweet note from my hubby.

When I die and there will be a number of boxes to go through, let it be known here that there are boxes of stuff that I just hadn’t thrown away yet. But hopefully less and less as time goes on because I am planning on going through a few between now and then!

It is good to put things in boxes those things that you think you want but you aren’t sure. If you wait a while, the decision might get easier later on – either you know for sure you want it or you can let it go.

Pondering what to carry through life is a pretty huge job. There are physical things that may have value (monetary or sentimental) but then there are emotional and spiritual things.  If we are too bogged down with things it makes it harder to get to the next place because we are lugging our “possessions”.

During Bible times, there was a lot of travel. Much of it was by foot but sometimes it involved an animal too. It seems we have so much stuff these days that traveling is a bit bogged down. Maybe living is a bit bogged down.

I am thankful we have thrift stores and missions where we can donate stuff. But I need to be better about not collecting it to start with.

How about you?

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. [Colossians 3:1-3, NIV]

Purging and Packing!

Liz

PrayerPrompt: SUCCESS vs FAILURE

Contemplation

The Lenten season is a great time to be introspective and examine the life I lead. Am I practicing what I believe? Am I being regularly infused by God’s Word and evaluating my thoughts, words, and deeds against that? Am I more concerned about what I think others should be doing that I am not spending enough time making sure I am in a spiritually healthy place?

When I travel I have a lot of time to think, reflect, plan, ponder, and pray.  I love the opportunity to get out of my space, observe people, and the changing scenery around me. I might see mountains, an ocean, streams, lush vegetation, and desolate deserts. And all these different views have my mind bouncing all over the place. As my mind moves from person to person and situation to situation the process of praying helps me pull all my thoughts together (even if they are a jumbled mess) and give them to God.

It is important for me to slow down from the busy-ness of these days and reflect. When I drive, I just pray but when I am a passenger, I always benefit from writing things down – it allows me to be reminded of things I have worked out — because sometimes I need reminded that I already worked through a situation. But, mainly, slowing down and spending time in prayer helps me to get out of my own situation and have a conversation with the One who knows me and knows the ones I care about.

11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. [Romans 12:11-13, NIV]

Blessings as you spend time contemplating during this Lenten season!

Liz

PrayerPrompt: HOSPITALITY

Misjudging Distance

While we have been traveling through wide-open expanses, we have noticed our judgment of distance is not accurate. We stopped so I could take some photos of this mountain. Sadly, I do not remember the name of it. But where we stopped to take the photo Don said the mountain was 17 miles from us. I wouldn’t have ever guessed it was that far away!

MilesAwayw

This photo does not do this mountain any justice. It was beautiful! What I saw in front of my eyes and in the camera lens seemed like two different mountains. It looked so far away when I looked through the camera!

Then I zoomed in a bit. This is more of the view we saw from our vehicle.

Milesw

Lovely, isn’t it?

This misperception of distance is something I experience in my life on many levels. Sometimes I see the end goal and I misjudge how long it will take to get there. I find I have many goals and while the path may not seem clear, the general direction is.

What about those times where we don’t even see where or when the end is?

  • Working on a bachelor’s degree over an extended period of time
  • Raising a child with long-term health issues
  • Caring for aging parents
  • Going through the adoption process

It is easy to get focused on our own journeys and lose sight of the bigger picture. The words of Psalm 8 bring some things into perspective for me!

Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory
    in the heavens.
2 Through the praise of children and infants
    you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
    to silence the foe and the avenger.
3 When I consider your heavens,
    the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
    which you have set in place,
4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
    human beings that you care for them? 

5 You have made them a little lower than the angels
    and crowned them with glory and honor.
6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
    you put everything under their feet:
7 all flocks and herds,
    and the animals of the wild,
8 the birds in the sky,
    and the fish in the sea,
    all that swim the paths of the seas.

9 Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!  Psalm 8 NIV

On the Road,

Liz

 

Sweet Surprises!

Catwalkwaterw
So beautiful!

Yesterday, we took a little drive through some beautiful but dry land to reach an area called Catwalk Trail.

The rushing water was refreshing. The temperature was very pleasant and the sun was shining.

We walked along and took some photos and enjoyed learning about the history about the area.

 

 

 

Notew
See that little piece of paper?

I was waiting for Don and just looking around and saw this…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note1w
It held a Big Truth!

Curiosity got the best of me.

One never knows what they will find in these types of situations but I was pleasantly surprised!

“Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.” Jeremiah 32:17 NIV

 

Don_Catwalkw
My sweet guy!

What a great reminder for anyone, but a particularly sweet one for us!

On the Road,

Liz

 

 

 

Delays, Detours, and Disappointments

smallwaterfallpp I love when a new opportunity comes about that I can take advantage of. It usually isn’t something in the original itinerary – more of a last minute addition that we decide to explore. It is usually a fun, little surprise. But unplanned detours and delays are not exactly my cup-o-tea – especially if I have a timeline I am trying to accommodate! What about you?

How do you deal with delays, detours, and disappointments?

Usually, my biggest concern is with losing time and getting off track. I don’t mind being flexible when I have planned for it but when there is a place I really want to get to and I am delayed or, heaven forbid, prevented from reaching the destination altogether, I can get a bit cranky.

But if I am teachable in the midst of unmet expectations, I can learn a lot.

I don’t often knowingly choose the difficult road, though sometimes a life detour takes me there. But a lot can be learned from a delay. A new vision can come from a detour. A richer relationship with God can come from disappointment.

I am thankful God redeems my life. If I look back through the years, some of His deepest provisions for me came to me through delays, detours, and disappointments that were not in my plan.

Praise the Lord, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the Lord, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Psalm 103:1-5 NIV

Heavenly Father—thank you for providing for me in the delays, detours, and disappointments in order for me to see You at work and have a deeper relationship with You!

On the Road,

Liz

Time Zones

zoneswAs we are out and about we are going through different time zones. We left New York on Tuesday and will ultimately end up in Arizona. When I text or call people as I travel,  I really need to think more about what time it is where the person is I am trying to connect with.

I often turn my phone on silent at night so my sleep doesn’t get disturbed but I have run into a lot of people who keep their phone on all the time so they can hear texts and phone calls in case of an emergency. But, if I wake up at 4am and piddle around and then send a text to someone at 6am my time, it might be only 5am their time! I have done it a time or two. For those of you who have been disturbed by this, I am so very sorry! Believe me, I am the last person who wants to disturb anyone’s sleep!

Have you ever thought of an important message you wanted to share with someone else but it wasn’t the right “time” for them to hear it?

There are times we communicate with people who are not quite awake or ready to receive the message. Maybe they are in a different zone or station in life or maybe they don’t see where their path is headed (even though others around them see things seem to be going in a dangerous direction). Our message might be heard too early to be heeded or too late to make a difference.

Prayerfully consider your timing as you contemplate the messages you send. And, above all, pray for God’s discernment on what to say and when. Timing is often important! Just because you are in a good “zone” for conversation does not guarantee the other person is.

There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
4     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

On the Road,

Liz

Where are you going?

WHERE are you going?

Where are YOU going?

Where are you GOING?

 

Emphasis makes a big difference in each of those questions. Sometimes we don’t necessarily have an end goal in mind–we are just out and about. Sometimes it’s ok to not know the destination because, truth be told, we often think we have a place where we will end up and we are really disappointed when we don’t ever get there. Or we don’t get there the way we imagined we would.

Sometimes we strive for a goal and find we never get there because we took the wrong path or we had a misinformed goal. For example, if one grows up in a family with a lot of tension or sadness due to money struggles, one might think that amassing a lot of money will lead us to “happiness”. It rarely works that way.

Where do you hope to be and how do you think you might get there?

It is always good to think about our life’s direction in general, but the Lenten season is a great time to consider if we have strayed off the path of forgiveness, grace, mercy, love, service, prayer, kindness, sacrifice, self-control, or [fill in the blank]. Drifting away a bit may not seem so bad when we can see the road but we can quickly lose sight of the road altogether. Sometimes we need to “reset”, get re-oriented, and start again.

GOD’S WORD informs our LIFE and impacts the decisions we make.

So let’s get informed! What does God have to say? Grab your Bible or download a Bible App on your phone. Look for a verse or two you might want to commit to memory during this Lenten season. Write it out on an index card, in your journal, or make a digital image so you can have it on your phone. I would love to see your verse and if you do anything creative with it. Of course, being creative isn’t the point but pondering it is! When we take the time to read God’s Word, ponder, and pray, He changes us. And, we likely will find a new perspective on our travels–both on  where we are going and where we have been.

So, where ‘ya headed?

~ Liz

Quick note: Don and I will be “on the road” and I will be posting things as we travel. We would appreciate your prayers for a safe journey!