What Kind of Traveling Companion Are You?

“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” (Ecclesiastes 4;12).

Greetings,

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 loads of fun – for her and her buddies. For me not so much. One of the other chaperones sat next to me and complained about EVERYTHING the entire time.

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!

That experience reminded me of what my fabulous Pastor Bill once said: “The quality of your journey depends on the people you travel with.”

I wondered afterward what kind of traveling companion have I been? Am I pleasant? Fun? Considerate? Easy going? Faith-filled? Encouraging? Loving? Would others want to sit next to me on the bus?

PRAYER:

Dear Lord, we want to be the kind of people who others love to travel with. We want to have the right attitude and say the right thing. We want to love at all times and take things in stride. We want to keep negative comments to ourselves and enjoy life.  When we make the effort, we will make friends.  And when we make friends we can face life’s hardships together.  In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Our Journey~

"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" (Ecclesiastes 4:12 The Message Version).

Greetings,

Years ago I chaperoned an overnight field trip with Rayray's soccer team all the way from Miami to glorious Tampa Bay.

She had a lot of fun, laughing her teenage head off, but me? Not so much. The other chaperone on that trip sat next to me the entire time, and all she did was complain  -  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 I had a private room. Glory!

I thought about this little experience because of something my fabulous Pastor Bill once said: The people you travel with depends on the quality of your journey.

Isn't that the gospel truth?

Let us pray that we would be good traveling companions and that those who enter our lives and our families' lives would be as well.

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 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. We want to be a blessing in the lives of others and we welcome others who will bless us along the way. In Jesus' name, AMEN~

In Tandem With Him~

Jorge and I have owned a tandem bike for almost 10 years now, and those of you who know me know that I never thought riding around town with Jorge could get any better. 

I never thought waving at the curious onlookers could be more satisfying. 

I never thought I could get more pleasure out of yelling, "God loves you!" to the vulgar folks who yell obscenities at me when I rest my feet and Jorge does all the pedaling.

I never thought I could possibly enjoy the closeness we share any more than I already did because when we upgraded to a new tandem a few months back,  it just so happens that Jorge's bottom sometimes rests on my handlebars!

I WAS WRONG!!!

Every single thing about riding the tandem just got exponentially better because someone new has joined our team: Hershey Pie!  And contrary to some scientific law somewhere, our rides are easier than ever.  Something about having Hershey Pie along for the ride has actually lightened the load.  Jorge and I are invigorated with Hershey Pie's presence, and by the way he regally sticks his head out the ventilated top of his carrier, Hershey Pie enjoys hanging with us. Plus, I am pretty sure Hershey Pie appreciates that his daddy is careful to avoid potholes and any other uneven terrain so his carrier doesn't go flying through the air.  Together we ride faster and farther. 

The same can be said when we team up with our Lord - when we live in tandem with Him.

Proverbs 3:6 "Seek Him in all you do, and He will show you which path to take."

When we invite God along for the ride, when we ask Him to weigh in on our plans, our path becomes clearer; we avoid many of life's pitfalls, detours, dead ends, and bumpy roads. 

We live in tandem with Him, we team up with Him, and He joins us on our journey when we pray.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We seek You today knowing that as we do, You will show us the way to go.  We need Your guidance for our lives, and we gladly invite You along for the ride.  Show me what to do about this particular situation: ________________________________.  In Jesus' name, AMEN!

 

No Coasting For Us!

And just when you thought I didn't have anything else to say about the tandem...

There was a time when I would pick up my feet and rest them on the bar while riding the tandem with Jorge.  He had no clue!  Yes, rude nosy bodies in my neighborhood would often yell mean things like, “Gorda, baja las patas!" (Loosely translated this means, “Fatso, lower your animal paws!) often accompanied by an obscene gesture. I would laugh and laugh and laugh at how upset this made Jorge because he had no idea that I was, in fact, coasting.

Then one day we went riding at night, and the illumination from the street lights cast the horrible truth: My feet were up on the bar, and the evidence was in the form of a shadow that Jorge could see, in of all places, right in front of him.

We both laughed so hard, and as Jorge explains it everything suddenly made sense. No! He wasn't developing some sort of sudden onset weakness or muscle atrophy. I was simply prone to resting whenever I felt like it leaving him to pick up the slack.

Is it fair for one person to do all the work? Is it fair to just sit back, relax, and let God handle it all?  You know – bless us, provide for us, protect us, heal us, infuse us with joy and peace, and then never so much as say a little thank You?

Not only is it not fair, it's also not biblical.

God encourages us over and over again to invite Him into our lives on a daily basis (ever heard of the daily bread?) so that we all can live our life to the full. When we fail to maintain a relationship with Him, we lose out on so much, and God loses too because He desires to spend time with His kids.

Acts 17:24-28 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And He is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything. Rather, He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man He made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from any one of us. For in Him we live and move and have our being. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.'"

Everything belongs to God.  He doesn’t need anything.  Still, as the Giver of our breath, He desires that we reach out to Him.  And He’s not far away.    

Much the same way that tandem bike riding is a lot easier when we both pedal, so is life more of a blessing when we reach out to our heavenly Dad and ask Him to be part of our journey.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, You give us life and breath and everything else. Thank You. We reach out to You today because You are near and can be found. When we find You through prayer You bless us immeasurably more than if we never spent time with You.  No coasting through life for us! In Jesus' name, AMEN~

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~