The Quality of Your Journey...

Ecclesiastes 4:12

By yourself you’re unprotected. With a friend you can face the worst.
Can you round up a third? A three-stranded rope isn’t easily snapped.

 

Today's DEVO is a blast from the past. January 13, 2013 to be exact.

Random Comment: "I'm as happy as a bird with a french fry."

Years ago I chaperoned an overnight field trip with Rayray's soccer team all the way to glorious Tampa Bay, also known as the Lightning Capital of the World!

The bus trip was a lot of fun--for her and her buddies. For me not so much. Since one never knows how far reaching ones words might be, I will follow my own advice and not leave a papertrail of info. Suffice to say that another chaperone on that trip sat next to me the entire time for the sole purpose of complaining--ABOUT EVERYTHING.

The bus smells, the girls are loud, the seats are uncomfortable, why can't we use the on-board bathroom?, the driver swerves too much, these snacks are stale...on and on it went for four torturous hours. When we finally arrived at our hotel, I was exhausted but also immensely relieved to know that each of the chaperones had been assigned a private room. Glory!

I thought about this story yesterday as my fabulous Pastor Bill made the following comment: The quality of your journey depends on the people you travel with.

Isn't that the gospel truth?

Those of us who are parents know the extreme importance of our kids having the right friends, and those of us who are married, were married, or want to get married, know the importance of settling down with the right person too. Why? Because the quality of your journey is at stake.

When one of my children started 6th grade, I noticed that one friend had made a noticeable transformation over the summer. Their mind was clearly on the opposite sex, and my child was still very much questioning the existence of Santa Claus. I did not want them hanging out because I could see where this was headed, and let's just say I was right. How do you navigate these waters without hurting your child or somene else's?

I asked God daily for that friendship to end. Does that sound mean? Read on. I asked for the friendship to end but for God to bring another more compatible soul to my child. As I look back to the margins of my prayer book where I made numerous scribbles about my concerns and worries, a beautiful picture of how God cares for my child emerged. Within two weeks of my pouring out my heart to God, this little friend basically left my kid in the dust for another crowd. At the same time, another friendship was already underway that turned out to be a fountain of bountiful blessings for both families all through middle school.

What has been the quality of your journey so far? How about for your kids? The good news is that we can ask God for His help when the road gets bumpy, dangerous, or lonely.

PRAYER:

Dear Lord, So much of the peace we enjoy comes from us and those we love being in the right relationships. A strain in that area brings so much heartache. Spare us, Lord! Help our children choose wisely. If they encounter the wrong crowd, change the crowd. And for those of us who feel stuck because of vows we took, thank You that we have hope in You. Turn any rocky relationship around so that we can live in joy and peace. And no matter how old we get, we could always use a good friend. Bless the friendships we already have, and help us open our hearts to new ones. In Jesus' name, AMEN~