August 1, 2024
Adventure Awaits
Having earned my Masters of Counseling Degree, and my husband having graduated from Taxidermy School, we set out from Nebraska. With one child in his pickup, Bob pulled a U-haul while I had our other toddler in the car and towed a smaller U-haul.
It was December, and we were on our way! With the Pacific Northwest teeming with wild game, it beckoned Bob to set up a taxidermy studio there.
Call us foolish to cross the country in winter, and call us foolhardy to plunge into the unknown, for we had neither contacts nor lodging lined up. But we were young and adventurous.
All went well until we were within a day of reaching our destination of Longview, Washington.
We stopped for lunch at Baker, Oregon. Snow fell lightly as we left the restaurant. No problem. We had traveled in much worse conditions in the Midwest. Soon, a blanket of white covered the highway.
An hour or so later, I glanced on the bench seat beside me to see where I had put my pocketbook. AAUGH! A vision of me walking to the car from the cafe with a map in one hand and my daughter’s hand in the other flashed in my mind’s eye.
I immediately got on the cb radio. “Zssst. Bob, . . . zssst . . . we have to go back to Baker. I left my purse there.” (With all our traveler’s checks, my driver’s license, and other necessary stuff.)
“Zssst. You are kidding me. Zssst.”
I glanced at the map spread out by my side. “Zssst. It looks like there’s a road that veers off the highway up ahead. I’ll turn off there. Zssst.”
The narrow road, a tad deep in snow and growing deeper by the second, led us up and around, then down and around.
“Zssst. Bob, this isn’t panning out. We need to turn around.” But where? I glanced out my window at the improbability. I got out of the car and trudged through the blizzard to Bob. “You’re gonna have to turn my car around, ‘cause I can’t do it.” I studied the length of my Ford and the length of the U-haul. It wasn’t an improbability; it was an impossibility.
My husband—the hero he is—got us headed in the right direction—with a few choice words about my map reading skills.
When we arrived in Baker, the waitress had my handbag waiting for me. Ahhh. Now that’s how you spell relief.
“We’re going to have to spend the night here,” Bob said. “I hear that hill outside of Pendleton is steep and treacherous in this weather.”
The following day as we traveled that loooong, icy hill, we realized that had we driven it pulling the trailers we likely would have met with disaster. In fact, shortly after we would’ve gone down it, the state patrol closed it off to traffic.
Thank you, Lord Jesus!
That is just one of the multitude of situations where God has provided me with protection, among other things. He has given me so much, I can’t begin to recount His gifts.
What God Does For me vs. What He Does IN Me
At the time of this adventure, I was a brand-new Christian. It was the beginning of my relationship with Jesus. It was also the beginning of an understanding—the realization that although God does so much for me, what He does in me is even more valuable.
What He began in me that long ago was to help me trust in Him. My baby faith sprouted new growth. Over the years, in every trial and challenge when I prayed for God to help me with this or that, I not only benefited from His great provision but gained an internal strengthening and spiritual maturity.
So, the next time you petition God for something, in addition to giving Him thanks for what He provides, examine yourself and thank Him for what He is doing within you through these circumstances.
Questions to Ask Yourself . . .
- How am I stronger now?
- How am I closer to God having gone through this?
- How am I handing this better than I did last time?
In fact, think about your most recent request the Lord answered. Pause to reflect on what He did in you.
I would love to hear what transpired within you in this or other situations of God’s answered prayers. . . . More trust in God? Forgiveness? A more intimate relationship with Jesus? A deeper faith? Inner peace?
This was really good Mary. I enjoyed the read.
I’m glad you enjoyed this month’s message, Julie.
This is an excellent explanation of spiritual growth. It happens when we are focused on the difficulty. But God’s gracious love works to mature us and allow our tap root to go deep into His living water. A quote from someone I don’t remember who, that also describes growth. “With age comes wisdom. But sometimes age shows up all by itself.” As God’s handiwork, it’s best if we allow Him to work in us in every circumstance and not waste our life complaining or wishing away the difficulties.
You have captured the essence of spiritual growth in your comments. Thank you, Cindy, for sharing.
Thank you Mary for this. He is always with us whether we realize it or not. It took until my 40’s to realize he is always there. I wish more people would realize that and receive the peace he can give.
Amen, Sister!
More stories from my sister that I had never heard before. I love reading about your spiritual growth. Thank you for this month’s blog.
You are most welcome, Judy. There’s a lot more you don’t know about me, heh, heh.
Some recent medical challenges have complicated life recently. Prayer for calmness and to face these challenge’s has made me stronger in faith. Giving all these challenges to our Lord to solve, has resulted in calmness until we know what we’re dealing with, and I remain hopeful they can be solved.
Barbara, I already had September’s blog written. But God redirected me to save it for October and write a continuation of August’s message of growth and trust. I pray it deepens even further your faith in our Lord as He continues to walk with you through this journey.