Packing for the Journey...

"Spending time with God is the key to our strength and success in all areas of life.  Be sure that you never try to work God into your schedule, but always work your schedule around Him."

 - Joyce Meyer

Over the past few weeks, packing and unpacking have been the story lines of many days.  As our home renovations progressed, it was necessary to unpack closets before the installation of new carpet could begin.  We packed our current office space into many boxes.  As I write these words, we have busily prepared ourselves to unpack those same boxes, sort through many books and find new places for all of them.  I have packed the drawers of my laundry room.  That means unpacking will happen soon.  This has been the constant cycle, a rhythm woven into the tapestry of my daily routines.

On a recent trip to visit my daughter in Auburn, I gasped when I unpacked my familiar floral bag.  My hair styling tools and products looked different as I prepared my Texas hair for the Auburn, Alabama humidity.  Something was missing.  Trust me with these words:  Hairstyling in Alabama is a process.  We need all tools, products and magic to work together in harmonious fashion before this head of hair can appear outside a hotel bathroom.  Alas, I had forgot to pack the all-too important round brush, the "tamer of the Texas frizz."  It was not supposed to be this way!  In those scary moments that followed, I knew my entire head of hair depended on the efforts of my flat iron, a tool I remembered to pack.  Thank you Jesus!

As I prepared this blog, I sat amidst a crowd in the Montgomery, Alabama airport and waited for a delayed flight.  Thunderstorms stretching from Texas all the way to Georgia halted the travel plans of so many.  I stared out the window and watched a large aircraft taxi to an unusual area of the tarmac.  As the flight crew unpacked the aircraft, police greeted passengers and directed them to the terminal.  One precious boy caught my attention.  He carried with him a large backpack and a disappointed frown on his face.  Suddenly, he yelled out, "I'm supposed to be in Atlanta!"  Indeed, his diverted flight was not supposed to bring him here.  Praise God for that moment when his eyes saw the snack shop.  When the time came for his family to repack the plane, I know one passenger who was ready.  His discovery of yummy treats, packed for the next leg of his journey, likely changed everything.

I don't know about you, but I am finding myself breathless on some days.  It is so easy to look at our daily lives/weekly calendars and reach a startling conclusion.  We have packed too much into a 24-hour period of time.  Our children, teens and young adults pack more activities into one week then all the generations before them.  Sometimes, I believe it is necessary for us to examine not only what we pack but also what we may need to unpack.  Look at this day and week before you.  What provisions have you packed for this tender time in your spiritual journey?  Do you have your Bible?  Do you have time set aside to pray?  Do you have moments to pause and breathe in His perfect peace?  What might you unpack from the routines of your busy life to make time and Holy space for Him?

Our Almighty Father blesses us with opportunities to experience His grace, love, joy, hope and peace each day.  May we spend time honoring these gifts by drawing closer to Him all of our days.  This is the way it is supposed to be.  Amen.