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Your Path: Unplanned or Pre-planned?

When God redirects your steps, what’s your reaction? I’ve spent the last two weeks on an “unplanned” path, and it would have been easy to focus on disruptions, seeming failures, let-downs, or panic-producing moments. However, during this time, as I would take the next step and experience His new mercies with each new morning, I was reminded that my Sovereign God had included each of these steps in His plan for me. The focus became joy, gratitude, and even anticipation—for what He wanted to accomplish in me.

I could write page after page of the story of God’s perfect plan and timing as it was carried out these past few weeks, but instead, I’m going to “timeline” it so that the clarity of His hand is the focus of this post.

2012 – I began making preparations (via phone, e-mail, and text) with a precious bride and mother of the bride to coordinate a wedding in Baltimore, MD to be held on July 6, 2013.

Early 2013 – When the bride’s mom called about arranging my flight plans, I (red-faced) had to explain that I now have a fear of flying and would probably come via train, bus, or car.

Late March – Made travel plans with a friend headed near Baltimore to pick up a new car. We would ride out together and caravan back after the wedding.

June – Contacted my brother, who lives only a few hours from Baltimore, to see if he wanted to ride back with me, spend a week with my parents, and then return home via a one-way ticket (rather than round-trip). The puzzle pieces, though seemingly perfect, didn’t fit, so we took it as God’s plan for him to come at a different time.

Mid-June – My travel buddy’s car would not be available until the following week; therefore, and undertandably, she couldn’t be gone from her husband and kids that long and would need to fly out to Baltimore a week after the wedding. I planned to split up my trip, drive to my parents’ home, and head out alone from there. I also began checking for people in the Detroit area—where many of the bride’s relatives live—who may want to be a possible passenger. I was determined to get to this wedding, even if I had to start walking!

July 1 (Monday of wedding week) – Through a sudden change of travel plans for some of the bride’s relatives in Detroit, it was going to be possible for me to be the passenger and ride with several of her cousins—several of whom had been my former students. After a night with my parents, I would spend the night with my sister in the Detroit area on Wednesday night, and the cousins and I would head out for a fun road trip on Thursday.

Tuesday of wedding week – I drove to Indiana to spend the night with my parents and break up the travel time to Detroit.

Tuesday night – My parents were up a lot in the night; I heard them, but I figured they just drank a lot of water on Tuesday.

Wednesday morning, early – As I heard my parents downstairs, the routine was not normal, and I knew something wasn’t right. I headed downstairs around 5:30 a.m. Mom was in intense pain—a very rare thing for her; it was even more rare for her to accept my offer to call their family doctor once the office opened and then to drive her to the emergency room.

[It’s important to insert here that my amazing dad has Parkinsons Disease. Routine, calm, and order are important elements of daily life for Parkinsons patients; therefore, I wanted to be certain he was okay with everything and had order in his day as well. He’s a rock, exercises faithfully, and is capable of being very independent, but this was still a change for him, and I knew he would want to do whatever he could to help Mom—even though being with her at the hospital would not have been an option.]

Wednesday morning and early afternoon – Mom and I spent the day in the Emergency Department at the the nearby hospital in another town. She received incredible, loving, patient-focused care, and I am grateful! I called Dad frequently with updates because I know that I’d rather have the facts than let my mind create possible scenarios which are often worse than the facts.

Wednesday afternoon – Mom was admitted to the hospital for probable surgery following a day or so of observation. I went home and got Dad, because I knew it would be good for him to see that she was doing better and was safely settled into a hospital room; it would also be good for Mom to know he was doing okay. We stayed about an hour, and then Dad and I went home for the evening to return to a routine at home.

[When I went home to get Dad, I called the bride’s mother. This precious gem of a friend immediately said, “You need to stay with your mother.” I agreed, and because she and her daughter had prayerfully and carefully planned the wedding, finding someone to fill my shoes would be a piece of cake. I cried after I hung up, because part of my heart was in Baltimore with my friends—friends who understood the importance of family and who, in spite of a busy wedding weekend, continued to send texts all weekend to ask about my mom and let me know they were praying for her.]

Thursday – I spent the morning with Dad, we had an early lunch, and then we spent the afternoon with Mom. There was a cool recliner in her room, so she and Dad took naps “together” that afternoon while she rested in preparation for what was now to be Friday morning surgery. We took about 30 of Mom’s little booklets to give out as free thank-you gifts to her caregivers and even had to bring more the following morning. We figured that the Gospel was shared through those booklets more than 34 times in all!

Friday morning – I arrived at the hospital at 7:30 a.m. My parents’ pastor was already there, ready to read Scripture and pray with my mom and with me. (When I had surgery five years ago, I did not have this privilege, and I was reminded again of the importance of this not just for the person having surgery but also for their family members. Thank you to those pastors across the world who take the time—usually at inconvenient hours—to do this.)

Friday – I remained at the hospital through surgery, recovery, and as they got Mom settled back into a new room. Surgery went well, the offending organ was successfully removed, and she would be pretty wiped out—more from her needing to be in the emergency room than from the surgery itself, but the two combined made her able to rest easily. Because Mom was resting, I returned home to spend the day with Dad. We enjoyed the fellowship, and I must confess that he beat me in both games of SkipBo that night!

Saturday – Dad and I washed and changed the sheets (who wants to return from the hospital to last week’s sheets?), cleaned the house, and had another early lunch. (Meanwhile, at the hospital, a nurse from the floor Mom was on the day before came up to visit her and see how surgery had gone—she said they were calling Mom a traitor for leaving them for another floor. They all loved her sweet, positive spirit!) Mom got out of the hospital right after lunch, and when buckling the seatbelt for the ride home, she especially appreciated the pillow Dad had loving and thoughtfully sent along, in part, for that very reason. She rested when she got home—a sure sign that she had been quite sick before surgery.

Sunday through Sunday – We mentioned numerous times throughout the week how God had so carefully and specifically orchestrated each step of this unplanned path. It was my privilege to get to represent my siblings, in-laws, and nieces and nephews by showering love and help on my parents. Because of the nature of my “virtual” work, I was still able to work throughout the week and meet my clients’ deadlines, so God even saw to that element!

There are a gazillion other factors I’ve not taken time (and your reading time!) to list, but I shared all of the above to remind you, my friends, that God knows every star by name; He created the heavens, the earth, and each of us; He valued us enough and loved us so much that He sent His beloved family member, Jesus Christ, to take the imperative penalty for our sins on Himself, and die a horrid death (and rise again!) to pay the price required for our redemption. Precious friend, there is not one thing in your life that He doesn’t care about—down to the very pre-planned path that He will travel with you! Nothing is too hard for Him!

 ______________________

Feel free to answer this question by leaving a comment:
How have you seen evidences that God is walking beside
you on what might seem to be an “unplanned” path? 

 

By Petals from the Basket | July 18, 2013 | Events, Family, Life Changes |

Culinary Skills in the Making!

Lorraine Strohbehn

Guest Contributor, Lorraine Strohbehn

My mom, Lorraine Strohbehn, contributed today’s post, keeping her last-Friday-of-the-month theme of “memories and the biblical lessons they contain.” I know you’ll enjoy this one (and you might even learn a new recipe for mud pies in the process)!

***

Growing up on a farm, I had a wide range of opportunities. We had a dairy farm and raised most of the crops to feed the cattle—which meant my dad milked the cows twice a day. My mother helped him milk the cows during the evening chore time. That meant I could play close to the barn. In the winter, I played with the kittens. But in the summer, the best thing of all was making mud pies in the corner where the silo connected to the barn. There was some wonderful dirt there, and there was also a cluster of little containers that I brought for my little “pie shop.”

It was such fun to prepare a special pie for Dad or Mother. I would fill a container with dirt, and then I would need some moisture to get it sticky so that it would form into the perfect pie, ready for presentation. Well, there was no water close by, so I needed another source.

Our herd of milking cows included two jersey cows that we called our “house cows.” Dad wanted to be sure the milk we took to the house was rich and creamy—and believe me, it was! The jersey cows were very gentle, and they were also the closest to the silo room door. I knew how to get milk from the cow, so I felt it was just what I needed to make nice, smooth mud pies! I stirred the mud and cream “batter” with an old spoon, patted it ito the right-sized little pan, and proudly presented the mud pies to my appreciative parents.

Through the years, I learned to cook real food as I worked with my mother. Then I learned to cook in a new way once I was married and our final count was six—usually with some of them by my side, learning to do what I was doing. I consulted cookbooks and friends for new ways to make family meals, tasty new dishes for guests, school lunches, and treats for parties. Each one brought about continuing growth in my cooking skills.

What if I had continued at the skill level of a three-year-old making mud pies with real cream? There would certainly have been medical problems, and my family surely would have given up in discouragement.

Let’s put this on the spiritual level. What if I were still on the same level I was at soon after I trusted Christ as my personal Savior? Then it would definitely be time to begin growing and getting into the Book (God’s Word) for the recipes for growth. Second Peter 3:18 says, “But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ….”

First Peter 2:2 says, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby.” As we “grow up” spiritually, not only will we enjoy the blessing of the Lord, but others will see qualities in our lives that they will emulate for a lifetime.

So let me close with this: On what level are you spiritually? Are you still spiritually making mud pies, or are you using the instructions in the Book to learn how to “grow in grace” and produce qualities that are well-pleasing to our Lord?

________________

Thank you for taking time to read “Culinary Skills in the Making,”
contributed by Lorraine Strohbehn.
 
Other than God’s Word, do you
have a favorite “spiritual cookbook” that you’re using as a study book this summer? 
If so, please leave a note in the comments and share
the title with others.
 
By Petals from the Basket | June 28, 2013 | Bible Reading, Family, God-and-I-Time, Guest Posts |

From Epic Fail to Joyful Completion

I had such high hopes for June! I was going to blog daily, lose ten pounds, and work on my two e-books. Two-and-a-half of those were epic fails. Epic.

However, my apprehension over writing an e-book to compassionately guide the unemployed over some of the some bumpy trails I recently walked ended in joyful completion last night when the book went “live” on my business website and almost simultaneously on Amazon.com for Kindle! I’m excited to share the link (click the photo of the book cover) with you. Please rejoice with me and pray that God will use this to encourage those whose path I understand.

By Petals from the Basket | June 26, 2013 | Books, Ebooks |

I Understand

During the four weeks of June, I’m using a weekly focus based on character qualities and actions that begin with the four letters in the word June:

J — Joyful (a very misunderstood quality and a command from God) [6/1–6/8]

U — Understanding (a quality that blends empathy with compassion and love) [6/9–6/15]

N — Nice (a quality that requires sincerity) [6/16–6/22]

E — Excellent (a quality that doesn’t tell us to be the best but to give our best) [6/23–6/30]

 
Many years ago now, with the plans and purchases for my upcoming wedding nearing completion, the Lord allowed me to walk through a broken engagement. Though I now clearly see His perfect hand in both of our lives through that change of events, it was quite difficult at the time.

I spoke with family; I spoke with friends from church; I spoke with co-workers. They all cared, and they all loved me, prayed for me, or encouraged me in some way—but it never really seemed to help. Then one evening, I got a call from a friend who invited me to come over to her home and talk. I took her up on it—she was about ten years older than I was, and I knew she would be a good listener.

When I arrived at her home, she began with these words: “I understand.” Well, that sounded all well and good—but others had told me the same thing; however, they all had either boyfriends, husbands, or husbands and children, and it seemed to me that although they could offer compassion and love, they could not truly relate to my hurt. This friend was single and had never married yet, and I figured that was what she meant by saying that she “understood,” so I was willing to politely listen to her story.

This precious friend proceded to open her heart and life to me and share that she, too, had gone through the dream-changing event of a broken engagement—not that many years before. Suddenly, I felt a comforting sense of relief: the words “I understand” took on their true meaning and soothed my sad and weary heart as no other words could have.

She had walked my path. She had felt my pain. She had known my grief.

She understood.

She was the first one in that moment who could truly blend empathy with compassion and love.

My gem of a friend not only undertood; she took that first-hand knowledge and allowed God to use it to comfort me in the way she had been comforted at the time of her own broken engagement.

What sorrow has God given you comfort through that you could use to give comfort to someone else walking through that same sorrow, loss, or situation? To whom could you reach out and utter some of the most comforting words ever spoken: I understand?

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. (2 Corinthians 1:3–4, NLT)

_____________________

Thank you for taking time to read “I Understand.”
Will you take a moment today to ask God
to show you someone that needs your
understanding comfort?
 
Do you want to read more about this unique gift of comfort?
My mom’s little book, The Death of  a Dream,
is available for purchase here.

By Petals from the Basket | June 11, 2013 | Bible Reading, Events, Family, Friends, Life Changes |