Proverbs 16:9 says that “the mind of a person plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” International travel is one of these times this proverb becomes very clear. Our plan was to reach Prague in three hops. The first, from Phoenix to Salt Lake City, the second from Salt Lake City to Paris, and the third on to Prague. If all went as expected, we would reach our destination just before noon – in time for lunch, settling into the hotel, and some minor sightseeing in the city. In my earlier blog, we had safely made the first leg of the journey, and all was going according to our plan. But things didn’t go the way I saw it in my mind.
God let us know that He was redirecting our steps when our flight to Paris was delayed for about 1 hour before takeoff. We might have made our connecting flight even with that if not for further delays reaching the gate in Paris. After we deplaned and navigated immigration and terminal changes, we found ourselves standing at the at the gate of what would have been our connection over thirty minutes after the plane departed. Needless to say, we didn’t get on that flight. God was directing our steps elsewhere.
By this time also, some of our kids were feeling a bit ill. Odd sleeping and eating hours, combined with motion sickness, and possible dehydration had taken their toll. Imagine me waiting in an hour-long line for airline customer service while Chris dealt with dealing with our kids physical needs.
It is at times like these that we as Christians have a choice. Seeing that God has directed our steps differently than what we had in mind, we can either patiently accept the changes and look for His hand in the disruption to our plans, or we can complain and rail against the changes. Which do you think is the wiser course?
Today was a wonderful lesson in trusting God and staying flexible when plans don’t work out. In the end, we were able to secure connections through Amsterdam and reach Prague by dinner time. The kids perked up, and although we didn’t sight see in the city, we had a wonderful cultural experience of grocery shopping for dinner. The only hiccup still remaining is one missing bag. I’m trusting God will sort that out too.
Thank you for joining along in our journey. We appreciate your support and prayers.