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| The boys weren't with me on this adventure, but I like the picture |
I had an unexpected adventure today. I decided to blog about it because I learned something from it and because my husband gets to be compared to God in the story. I love my husband very much and think he has some great gifts, but it is not often I get to compare him to God.
I started off this morning with plenty of time. I left nice and early because I decided to try a new way to work. Since we moved, the school that I go to on Tuesday is a challenge to get to. Terence goes there too, so we have been experimenting with different routes. Driving is the easiest option, but without traffic you can expect it to take an hour. And driving is really not an option for us because we have no license and no car. The train would be the next choice, but that is not easy either. There are several options but they take from a hour and a half to two hours with multiple transfers and walks between stations. So the option I was going to try today was biking. The ride was about 10.6 miles each way. With traffic, yes even on the sidewalks, and crossings and hills we figured it would take around an hour and a half. I reviewed the route on Google Maps and asked my dear husband to print it our for me in close-up sections so it would be easy for me to look at while biking. I did fine until page four. Page four had the difficult turn, the place where five roads intersect,. It was five miles into my journey. I got that segment of the map turned around. The segment was so small that the major train station I had just passed was not on the map for reference. I turned the wrong way. I followed that road for another 2 miles until Terence called me between classes to check on my progress. I was doing good. I had ridden seven and a half miles and had been biking less than an hour.
Of course, that is not the end of the story. Terence had the big picture. He had the entire map pulled up on his computer. As I continued riding I tried to tell him the places and roads I passed. It wasn't long before he realized I wasn't doing so well. He finally figured out where I was. He discovered that the wrong road I took back at the difficult intersection actually was taking me back closer to home. I had made a big triangle. It would be another 9 miles of biking to get to school or I could take the train. Either way I was going to miss two of my three classes. I called the school and offered to come after lunch and nap time, figuring I surely could make it by then. Yet the head teacher kindly said I could just be absent today.
So the moral of the story is, as much as you think you got all the details, as much as you think you are in control, it is the one who has the big picture who can help you when you are lost. This summer we shared in churches and we talked about how only God knows why we have to wait. Sometimes we must wait for answers; wait for results. I thought about how God has the big picture, yet sometimes we forget about our connection.
When I was going along feeling good with no idea I was going in the opposite direction, it was then that Terence called me. He was concerned and decided to check on me. He stayed on the phone with me, following my path until a solution could be found. I was in constant contact with him. The day ended up ok. I didn't make it to work but I got to discover some places that will be useful in the future and I got to have a lunch date with my husband. Maybe that was part of the big picture. Today I was lost, but I was never in danger. I was not hurt and there is no lasting damage from my big adventure.
My thoughts turn to my aunt, who is half a world away. She too is struggling with the big picture. Her questions are more significant. The pain she feels, the pain she sees, is real. She sees a baby boy who died of whooping cough. She sees a young mama who grieves his loss while holding tight to his twin sister. My aunt also sees seniors living out their last days with pain and suffering. She asks why. I don't know what to tell her. All I can say is that God sees the big picture. Life doesn't always make sense. It is unfair and it hurts. Yet, I want her to know that even when it is hard to see God working, she always has a connection. God will listen as she calls out questions and frustrations. God will walk this path right along with her through all the hard days and the easy days. Our God will be with her and bring her safely home. May she help bring God`s comfort and presence to all in need.
