“If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have to do it over?”-John Wooden
The other weekend I had the opportunity to travel. I headed to WV with my Dad to meet up with my Uncle; We were giving him a boat. I had told a lot of my friends we would be passing through my old town and I would love to catch up with them. The timing was off, though: our departure was delayed. We ran into thick fog and traffic along the way: towing a boat slowed our pace as well. By the time we got into town, we were exhausted. Our hosts were kind and welcoming. They also understood when we fell asleep an hour after arrival. My friends were trying to coordinate with me, but nothing ended up working out.
The following day. Dad and I reached WV without a hitch. The boat exchanged hands. We wound through the mountains brilliant in their fall colors. Thanks, God! Anywho, a friend of mine let us stay at her house. We hiked a bit in the mountains. I spoke at her church Sunday evening. but we ended up leaving later than we had planned. So, when Dad and I left, we drove through the night to get home. We did not stop to visit anyone else.
Fast-forward to the next Friday. I felt a strong tug on my heart to make it up to the friends that I didn’t visit. So, at work, I asked God for wisdom. I gave Him a fleece test “God, if you want me to visit my friends in Lynchburg, let my car charger be in my bag. If it isn’t there, I will go straight home after work. If it is there, I will surely drive to Lynchburg straightaway.” It was in the bag. God orchestrated that trip so well. I asked a couple of my friends if I could crash their couch for the night. They were glad to have me and they just happened to have cooked enough for four. Thanks, God!
The next morning I made surprise visits. I am blessed to have friends who do not feel alarmed by me popping into their life randomly. It was not only great to see them again, but I felt our connection strengthen. In hindsight, I am so glad I went back. God is a huge proponent of reconciliation. I know my friends understand when sometimes things don’t work out. However, we are humans and flawed. If we don’t take the time to do things right, we have to take the extra time to make things right.
In these past few months, God has been revealing Himself in practical ways to me. He has helped me to open up and own up to my fears. He has gently guided me back to the path, again and again, when I lost my way. He is especially clear to me through prayers answered, children’s wisdom, dreams and His Word. I am thankful to have you all following along in my Spiritual journey. I wonder what He will reveal to me next. Stay tuned!
