Traffic Signs

This summer I attended an amazing women's retreat in Waco. The planning that took place for me to attend was in depth to say the least. My husband knew how important it was for me to be at Echo Weekend, hosted by Amy Stockstill, by the excitement in my voice when I talked about this event. We had discussed me attending Echo Weekend since December, so we literally had half of a year to figure out the arrangements for me to be gone for a long weekend. This weekend is full of women all seeking God and learning more about using their voices to share the Word. A month before my weekend to leave, Eric interviewed for a job with a new company...and got the job! They wanted him to start the first week of June which was the week before my Echo trip. No...how could this be I thought? We had discussed this for months, paid the money for me to attend, and had it all planned out perfectly. I went back and forth about not going, but Eric talked to his new boss explaining our situation who agreed to let Eric begin work the week after my trip. I was beyond thankful. Eric and I go on 2-3 day trips without our kids a few times a year, but me going alone anywhere is a very rare occasion with us having four kids. Not that Eric doesn't have our house and kids 100% under control, it's just a different type of control than when I'm home. Eric's stranger danger talk consists of, "Hey guys listen up...you need to pay attention and stay close to me or you'll be in the trunk of a Malibu in no time!" You can understand why I'm a little nervous leaving them to a free for all longer than a few hours right? I questioned if I should go or stay many times, but after much reassurance from Eric I left Friday headed for Waco. If you have ever ridden in the car with me through Dallas traffic you would understand why Eric was probably a little nervous as well. He accuses me of probably causing fender benders behind me and not even knowing. I live in the country, down a blacktop back road for a reason...I HATE driving in traffic! Sometimes I even find myself looking at the the little car on the GPS like it's a video game then remember "oh yeah the GPS doesn't show all the other cars going 80 mph beside me." I'm the girl that kinda hopes there is a little traffic, so I can drive slower to hopefully not miss my exit. I waited until the last minute to leave my house that Friday, so I could stay with my kids as long as possible. Traffic wasn't bad and I didn't hit any guardrails or anything as I made my way to Waco. As I got closer to downtown Waco the traffic literally came to a stop. Watching the clock, I became more and more anxious sitting in the traffic. All the other women would already be at the retreat and here I was still 45 minutes away. This was a place I had never been before with a bunch of women I didn't know at all. The last thing I wanted at this point was to walk in super late. The traffic was inching along but still the longer I wasn't able to drive at least 60-70 mph the more antsy I got. Really, I thought?! I'm going to show up late and be the girl that everyone turns around to look at?! In the moment when I was at the peek of my anxiousness, an 18 wheeler turned on his blinker to get in front of me. My dad drives an 18 wheeler, so I've been taught to always be courteous to the the drivers of these huge trucks. With no hesitation at all, I let him slowly get in front of me. As he made his way over to my lane all I could do was smile. On the back of his truck written in dirt was the word "Jesus!" We were only moving a few feet every five minutes, so I snapped this picture.

That word written in dirt was for ME! Here I was rushing and panicking about being late when I was on my way to a retreat to glorify God. I was worried about what I would look like to others and what others may think, but really all that mattered was Jesus. I was on my way to worship and share God's Word with other like-minded women, I shouldn't be stressed about anything! The only thing I should be doing is thanking Him for giving me this opportunity to attend Echo and praying none of my kids ended up in the trunk of a Malibu. Suddenly with this realization I smiled, relaxed, and knew everything was perfectly fine. I did circle around the exit two, maybe three times in different directions that added an extra 10 minutes to my trip, but by this time I literally laughed out loud. I made it to the retreat at the perfect time, and not one single lady there knew I was the girl driving in circles around that real tricky exit in Waco. The weekend was amazing! I would have been so disappointed if I would've let a little change of plans convince me not to go. Eric's new job has been an absolute blessing, but in that particular moment I questioned, "Why now God?" When traffic was stopped I questioned, "Why now?" In the moment when I read the word Jesus written in dirt, I knew so clearly what He was saying. He told me to "slow down, to trust, and to look for all the good instead of the bad." He told me that a change of plans isn't always a bad thing! Each day we should plan and be prepared for God's plan. I'm sure just like me, you typically have a plan A for your day. Sometimes we forget God has a plan A also! So when we are struggling with a slower pace, a new plan, or whatever it may be that we feel is "messing up" everything...just remember God doesn't make mistakes! Jesus is written EVERYWHERE if we look for it. And really it's our job to find it EVERY DAY. In some cases it's literally written in letters for us, others times it's when our kids tell us they love us or someone holds a door open for us. I have to remind myself constantly His timing, not mine...especially when we are Loving on Borrowed Time.