When I had planned to be home for Thanksgiving, I didn’t quite factor in the reality that millions of other people were doing the exact same thing as me: booking plane tickets, reserving rental cars and coordinating people to pick you up and drop you off at the airport. 2014 has marked the first year the classic tune, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” has meant more to me than just words in a song. It’s the life I’m living.
Thanksgiving in Florida with my family was phenomenal. And can I just mention that it went by way too fast? But back to the story at hand. As I was outlining with my family my departure time to Las Vegas, I realized I had booked my ticket during a prime travel time: 4:45pm on the Sunday after Thanksgiving—the crazy pre-Monday rush. The airport I was flying from is located about 90 minutes from my family’s home and we quickly began speculating that I may need to plan on time audibles due to vehicular traffic to Orlando and the human traffic pipelining through the airport TSA.
So we left for the airport five hours before my scheduled departure time. While we drove, I planned out a beautiful blog post in my head: I would snap a selfie in the crowded TSA line and talk about traveling, patience or some other amazingly deep analogy to life. We arrived in great time, said our goodbyes, and I made my way to security.
And there was no line.
None.
Nada.
I’m not even kidding. I walked straight up to the TSA line and was then ushered into an even “faster” line—if that’s even possible—where I didn’t have to remove my shoes, laptop from my bag, or any of the other typical airport procedures. I was in and out in 10 minutes.
As I walked toward my Gate, I called my Dad and couldn’t help but laugh. I had a perfectly laid out plan for the obstacles I thought the day would try to send my way only to discover an obstacle-free trip with time to spare. Isn’t that so life? If I wouldn’t have planned accordingly, there would have been a ridiculously long line. And with planning for delays, I experienced none.
But you know what I gained? Time to think. Time to dream. Time to write. Time to pray. Time to enjoy some of my favorite chick flicks. Time to prepare for the week ahead. And that’s invaluable.
God knows what He’s doing—even when I doubt Him. As I plan, He sees far ahead: He sees the crowded TSA line days and the empty line days. And He knows exactly what I need in each and every moment.
Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil! Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life! {Proverbs 3:5-8}
Today, I’m thankful that in the moments I think I have it all figured out I have a God who cares enough to remind me, “Baby girl, I know what I’m doing. I have it all figured out. And it’s better than you think.”
