Trusting in God's Plan

Do you ever have days that you wish you could forget... We had one of those yesterday.

It was a day that just kept getting worse and as the evening wore on, our eyes were opened to more and more destruction.  I will share more later, but as of right now, it just feels as if the life we have known and loved for the last 8 years is quickly coming to a halt.  It's a dream that might have to be set aside for this period of our life and it saddens me.

My Mom and Dad stopped by yesterday and as we were talking my Mom reminded me of a trip we were going to make when I was 10 years old.  We had been planning it and saving for it for years.  We had finally saved enough money ($2000) for our family to drive down to Disney World and camp for a week.  The day before our departure, our blue van was packed and ready to go when something went wrong on it.  My Dad took it to our family mechanic and was told that the van was unsafe for travel and it would cost $2000 to fix it.

Years, of digging through trash cans at the beach, looking for pop cans to turn in for ten cents, years of planning and reading books on the best and least expensive way to experience Disney World, down the tubes.  Little did we know that we had scrimped and saved to fix our only vehicle, not a family trip.

It was a devastating blow to all of us.  Even now as I think back, I still feel the feelings of loss.  But as my Mom pointed out, it was an important life lesson.

Last night, as I was shedding some tears, one of my best friends, who is such an amazing women, wrote me this....

"Oh Lyn, I am so sorry. I know how frustrating it is with minor issues... I can only imagine how discouraged you are right now-- and I know its frustrating for several reasons.  God will get you thru this and while its hard to count your blessings right now, stop and remember what He has done.... Kev has work, you have a home, your daughter who was supposed to be crippled dances, and you do not have the C word hanging over your head.  He does miracles - big and small - every day.  We all face trials, but this all develops perseverance.  James:1-3.  In the physical, yup, this sucks and I weep with you.  In the spiritual, I know He wants you to have joy... and this trial may be serving a greater purpose.  It just sucks on this side..."

She lovingly spoke to my hurt and then gently pointed my eyes back where they needed to be.  God blessed me so throughly when he placed her in my life 19 years ago!

As the kids started to understand the scope of the situation, Jilli just kept saying... "God has a plan, we have to trust in God's plan."  She cried too, but she didn't waver in trusting her Savior.  She is SEVEN and speaking truth to her Momma, showing me what a child-like faith looks like.  It's humbling...

Today is pick-up-the-pieces-and-try-and-figure-out-what-to-do day.  The rain outside speaks to my mood, my soft instrumental music soothing my hurting heart, and my almost minute by minute prayer is "I am trusting You, I know your plans are for our good."

Back to the Disney story.... Our family never made it to Disney, then when I was 18yrs old, I went with some friends on Spring Break to Florida and one of our planned stops was Disney, long story very short, I didn't end up making it there then either.  However on May 19, 1997 I saw Disney World for the first time with my new husband.  He was the one who showed me all the fun rides and special places, his hand was the one I was holding when I saw Cinderella's Castle for the first time.  He was the one who laughed at me while I rolled my eyes because he MADE me go on the WORST ride ever... It's a Small World.  So, my Disney story does have a happy ending, it just took awhile to get there.

Today, it's hard to see what is around the corner, but in the words of Jilli "God has a plan, we have to trust in God's plan."

Blessings!!