Hey Guys,
I was blessed to have had two mini vacations recently with my family. One was to Oak Island, North Carolina. While we were there, I spent some time on the beach with my family, playing bocce, Frisbee (in the wind), and eating lots of fresh seafood. I also was able to relax, read some new books on my Kindle, enjoy early morning walks to the pier and bask in God’s goodness. The weather was beautiful – hot, but with a good ocean breeze. Everything was as it should be.
My next mini vacation was to Walt Disney World. I haven’t been to Disney in quite a while and I must admit the kid in me was excited about going. Our first day was spent at Epcot where we did the big Three (Soaring, Test Track, and the new Frozen ride). We then spent the rest of the day exploring the 11 world showcases, enjoying some of their food and interacting with people from those countries. Of course, the fireworks were awesome. I had forgotten how much fun I had at Disney in the past when the kids were small.
The next day, we decided to go to Hollywood Studios – I think it used to be called MGM studios. We didn’t know that much of the park is being renovated with new attractions, so there were a lot of people walking around. Of course we did the big things – Tower of Terror, Rock and Rollercoaster, Star Wars, Indiana Jones Stunt Show, Great Movie Ride, ate a little, sweated a lot – the whole experience. Though we were looking forward to being here, it was not at all like yesterday and certainly not like our recent beach trip.
It was hot, the lines were over an hour for most attractions, and while in line for the Rock and Rollercoaster, it started to rain. Not a quick, light rain, but the rain that Forest Gump talked about (sideways, from the bottom up, big drops, etc…). Within a matter of minutes, we were soaked through and of course it did nothing to cool us, instead it was like a steam bath – fully clothed. Our shoes were filled with water as well, making blisters a given.
After the ride, we sat for a moment and then battled the rain to get back to our car. Back at the hotel we showered and decided to head out to Disney Springs for dinner. Of course, the sun was back out in all of its blistering glory.
At Disney Springs we walked, and walked, and walked some more. We eventually ended up at the Rainforest Café to eat (we had to wait about an hour).
I realized that all my plans and cares and concerns that loomed so large in my view meant really nothing. I was a blip, a number and name being shuffled around. In a brief moment of clarity, I felt utterly small. I was just one person, in a sea of thousands, the truth was that I was totally out of control.
In my day to day life there is so much I can control: which way to get to work, what needs my attention first to work on, what to do on a free night with the family, what to eat for dinner. But in reality there is far, far more outside my control than inside it. I didn’t have final control over the weather, or the attitudes of my family, or the number of people in line. Even less can I control the economy, or the government, or Disney. And, strangely, I felt OK.
The Psalmist in Psalm 8, writes this: “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?”
Things may be wildly out of our control but they are not out of control. Feeling my smallness helped me to feel God’s greatness. My circumstances were in his control.
Of course this was a relatively easy thing to trust God in: after all, for all of my complaining, we were blessed in both vacations by people providing wonderful gifts for us. But in every circumstance it is no less true. When we vote for an election or ballot issue that doesn’t go our way, the Lord reigns. When we don’t get the promotion or lose the job, the Lord reigns. When they find water damage or a busted refrigerator or a chronic illness, the Lord reigns.
Just a thought…
Paul