I could sense the frustration building as we couldn’t find a suitable spot to stop and unload after our 2.5 hr trip. Everyone was getting a bit annoyed that nowhere seemed appropriate for what we had planned.
Not being at that park before, we had no idea what to expect and had planned for a great day of barbeque and casual sports like tossing the ball around. And remember, we have 3 boys so any ball would do. Baseball, soccer, football—we had ‘em all. The place we decided to go had some amazing reviews, so we thought it would be a fantastic place to hang for the day. Little did we know that everything we planned and prepared for was about to fall apart.
There were no flat, open grassy areas at this park to picnic! We were shocked as we drove around in circles for over an hour. The park was big with one-way streets in some areas that kept us in a seemingly never-ending loop. Tensions were running high and I could feel our family getting pulled into a vortex of negative emotions.
Just then, I sensed Holy Spirit telling me to suggest to my husband that instead of barbequing, let’s just stop at the next parking lot area and set up. We have more than enough snacks to pick at and we can grab a pizza on the way home if anyone is still hungry. His entire demeaner shifted as I felt his shoulders (and the mood in the car) get lighter from the suggestion.
We all unloaded, had some great snacks and headed over the sand doons to the beach where we spent the next couple of unplanned hours skipping rocks and getting sandy and soaked. We had a wonderful time listening to our granddaughter laugh hysterically as the waves seemed to chase her every step.
What an amazing day of memories we made and so many lessons we learned. The two lessons that stuck out the most for me was:
Lesson 1 – My family is incredibly resourceful.
Lesson 2 – Legacy lasts… Choose life and light in every situation… someone is always watching and following in your footsteps.
In this case it was both our younger son and our granddaughter that were watching how we handled difficult, frustrating situations. In that moment we had a decision to make. Were we going to turn on each other and end up having a terrible day that would be marked with anger and negativity or were we choosing to go with God’s flow that day instead?
Lord, I’m so glad we decided to go with your flow that day! My son took a picture of myself and my granddaughter as we were heading back to the car after our time at the beach. As I saw this image I immediately thought… Look who’s walking in your footsteps. We need to be ever so purposeful not to allow ourselves to be moved or shaken when things don’t seem to go as planned. We need to maintain our composure and choose to be light in every situation. In this case we took the opportunity to go with God’s flow, which brought us all freedom and joy as we took the pressure off ourselves from the expectation of what the day was supposed to look like.
Not only did we all have a great time, but myself and my husband were blessed to be good examples to the generations watching us that day.
As we consider the unexpected events of this year and the many interrupted plans, delays, anxious moments and uncertainties; we have been challenged to remain in His peace and joy knowing that the generations following in our footsteps are watching how we respond. Will we emulate Jesus in the way we show up or will we allow fear to dictate our path? Choose well the path, so others can follow you into victory as you ignite, influence, and invoke positive change within your sphere of influence.
Blessings on your journey,
