I have always thought that I was special; different from everyone else. I got that from my mom. When she was pregnant with me, the doctor told her that she her body would not carry a child to birth. You can imagine how that might impact a newly married 18-year old who just found out she was pregnant. She went home and cried out to God—a God she barely knew—to give her this child. Her promise was to raise him to serve God. It should come as no surprise that God answered her prayer and she kept her promise.
I have carried this with me my entire life, my mom bringing me encouragement along the way.
She has been in heaven for almost two-years and I just realized that I miss her encouragement. I have missed calling her to discuss the difficulties that I am facing and hearing her counsel to stand strong trusting in the Lord. I know even now she is encouraging me from heaven, even though I have no idea what that even looks like.
This has caused me to realize a couple of things. First it is important to have a person in your life that you can go to in the difficult times who will allow you to “dump” your fears, cares and worries on, without becoming defensive or judgmental. But where do you find such a person? I know some may say turn to the Lord—great advise—but I am talking about a flesh and blood individual you are able to both talk with and listen too. I do not have an answer on how to find such a person other than pray asking the Holy Spirit to bring them across your path.
The second thing I have realized is that flesh and blood can fail us, so our trust, or hope, or dependence must be in the Lord. This can seem contradictory, but the first speaks to the soulish realm of man, while the latter speaks to the spiritual side.
I am working on a new section for the website that will be entitled Lessons from my Mentor’s. It was while working on this section that I made the above discovery. I do not know if there will be a person like I described with my mom, but I do know that the mentor’s that I speak of are always available. The section will be posted soon.
If this journey of the past 17-years has taught me anything, it is that if I am special, I would quote Evan Almighty when he is standing in his front yard, his wife and children having just left him, turning his face towards heaven as the sprinkler douses him and says something like, “I know you are doing this because you love me; but could you love me a little less?” If you laughed, thank you.
The most amazing thing about the unexpected journey is the fact that it is unexpected. If you think it is going to go this way, look out, it most certainly will not. If you think it is
going to be a walk in the park, look out, it most certainly will not. If you think it will cause you to be God’s most popular, look out, it most certainly will not.
The unexpected journey is preparation for eternity.
The Apostle Paul tells us that the light afflictions—as he calls them—will give way to eternal glory that will wipe those painful memories away. The Lord told one of his servants to instruct Paul what hardship he was in for in his journey; and yet Paul did many mighty exploits for the King and his Kingdom.
Moses in the Old Testament did amazing feats over the course of 40-years leading the children of Israel out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. Yet for 80-years prior to that he went through many hardships.
The point to learn about the unexpected journey is that your journey will not be like anyone else’s. The outcome will be the same—eternal glory—but the journey will be unique to your place in Abba’s eternity.