Alaska Adventures: Navigating the Unexpected

It's not often that you find yourself stuck just off the interstate with a bus full of teenagers...unless you are Jarrett and me, that is!
Yes, once again we found ourselves stranded by bus issues a mere 45 minutes to an hour into our Alaska Mission trip.
But unlike before, this time we had a literal plane to catch.
Game changer!
Eventually getting there isn't the goal; it's getting there on TIME!
We had to make some fast decisions and execute those plans ASAP:
search closest chick fil a, order and pick up lunch; find vehicles to haul us and luggage, confirm numbers, get those vehicles en route to us; eat; unload stuff; reload stuff; load people...GET TO AIRPORT!
Whew!
Parents, church members, and friends stepped up to accommodate our unexpected needs, and with such willing servant attitudes!
We could not have done it without them!
We made it to the airport in record time and were even able to eat supper before the first flight to Phoenix!

So today, I am thankful for the reminder to remain pliable and supple in the hands of the Potter.
It is so easy to have our days and moments, our attitudes and intentions, our goals and dreams cast in stone, waiting impatiently for the Lord to sign off on our creations with His blessing.

But God is not begging us to let Him in on what WE are doing...no...
He wants us to get in on what HE is doing!

He is asking us to surrender and give Him the freedom to CREATE
our lives,
our moments,
beautiful,
unexpected,
stretched,
molded
lives and moments
that bear the mark of their Creator.

What an opportunity we have when life brings the unexpected.
Don't resist it, NAVIGATE it with Holy Spirit power.
A masterpiece awaits.

But now, O Lord, you are our Father;
we are the clay, and you are our potter;
we are all the work of your hand.
Isaiah 64:8 ESV

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
Ezekiel 36:26 ESV

If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.
Galatians 5:25 ESV