The ticket is in your hand as you make your way through the airport. You have been looking forward to beginning the next leg of your journey. Woo! Hoo! This is going to be the best adventure ever. The closer you get to the gate, the faster your heart races. And so you hurry, anxious to reach your destination.
And then the strangest thing happens. You present your ticket at the gate, only to realize that your purchase is for another day, another place. You must stay where you are. The adventure of a lifetime must be delayed, at least for now.
Anger and frustration greet you as you stand there in disbelief. “I was supposed to get on that plane and travel to that destination,” you cry out. Life appears unfair, and you stand there feeling completely defeated and helpless. “I am not meant to remain here,” is the only thing that runs through your mind.
There are times in life where the road neither turns right or left. We come face to face with a stop sign and road blocks. The journey requires us to stay put and don’t move. There is more to be done where we are. Sometimes, the new adventure is the one that we are meant to experience standing right where we are.
Joy can come, even when the answer is no. The problem is that we must find a way to be still and allow the Spirit to use us where we are. Sometimes, waiting patiently is not a bad answer. It is in trying times that we remember that wherever our journey takes us, God will use us. That is the promise that we are given. Hope can come out of the ground that is trampled and unkept. Faith is the assurance that life can still mean something, even when the answer is no.
Today, I pray that joy may abound in the middle of Divine answers of yes and no. We may be content with all things, even the things that we don’t like. In the rough seasons, we learn lessons that shape our hearts. We still respond to the love and care of God and how life is revealed to us. Praise be to the God of creation, who continues to lead us on the path.
From a Pastor's Point of View 