Letting God Direct Your Plans

"Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; " Ps. 40:5

That verse was from my time with God this past Saturday and perfect for the weekend which was full of adventure and reminders from God. Stephanie came over, we chatted, prayed, and placed the names of five small towns located nearby in a bowl. We had decided for the holiday weekend to take a road trip and let God completely pick out our plans. After drawing a town, we jumped in the Prius and head off to our undiscovered place.

Reminders of Patience: One great thing about this type of adventure is it challenges you to be patient. It took us longer to get to our destination than it should. Since we were chatting away, we missed the exit. We were in deep conversation at least 40 minutes before realizing we had gone too far. Ha Ha. Because we were off course, we patiently turned around and tried again. Ah, isn't that a lesson for the Christian life.

Reminders of Trust: Once arriving at the town square, we wandered through packed antique and unique shops. We randomly saw a frog dressed up as a cowboy, cute aprons, wooden shells, "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" skeletons, a jar full of small sand dollars, and some well-priced shabby chic furniture. These small town shop owners carry a tremendous level of trust. Many of the stores had over-flow sections in the buildings next door. Open and unsupervised, they trust customers not to walk off with things. Growing up in a small town, I had forgotten how trusting small town folk can be and it refreshed me.

Reminders to Soak in Life Deeply: Leaving downtown to look for chow, we cruised around and found a surprising gem called the El Paseo Mexican restaurant. By the time we finished our lunch and deep talk there, much of the day had past. Still, we both mentioned feeling that the adventure had just started! We drove to a local botanical garden and strolled the hot afternoon away through day lilies, roses, and some plants that the butterflies were crazy about enjoying. We saw curious birds, a fuzzy caterpillar, and an elaborate model train oasis where several unique trains chugged and choo-chooed at foot and over-head through handmade wooden bridges and past replicas of neighboring towns. One of the best parts of the gardens was a thick wooden rocking bench we found on a ridge that overlooked the river. We rested, enjoyed the breeze and watched a lizard race around. I think we both enjoyed the gardens and we only had one small freak out moment after seeing thousands of daddy long-leg spiders huddled together like the end of the world was upon us. *Yuk, spiders*

Just 25 minutes away is the world's largest cedar rocking chair. We drove there next, snapped photos, saw out of this world hand-crafted furniture and chilled on a porch enjoying yummy shakes before heading home.

I enjoy my friendship with Stephanie. She is vulnerable, has great insight into scriptures, fun, adventurous, and full of laughter. She is also the only person I know that struggles with her own hypersomnia. There's a peace about hanging out with her because she is real, easy going, and close to God. I'm blessed to have her in any part of my day.

Patience. Trust. Soaking life in deeply. I'm certain as I continue to meditate God will keep showing me why he lead us to those particular places but even more than the reminders, I know our God loved watching and sharing with us as we enjoyed the world he created! Below are some photos from that day.

Embroidered peacock quilt

I highly recommend you try this kind of adventure out someday :)