This time two weeks ago I was on my way to New Wine Christian Conference in Shepton Mallett, Somerset with my friend Emma who I met when we were both out in SA. I spent two days there soaking up the Word of God, being encouraged to step out in faith and learning ideas and philosophies that were new to me and oh so relevant to my life. I had previously planned to meet up with my family in Co. Wexford that weekend, so I had to leave early and get the train to Luton airport and fly to Waterford, and Emma very kindly agreed to take me to the station. Unfortunately when the time came to leave we spent so long saying our goodbyes (we didnt really want to leave our beloved VoH friends!) that I ended up missing the train by about 90seconds. Naturally I was then madly panicking about how I was going to make it to Luton in time to catch my flight. Emma had previously offered to drive me to the airport instead of taking the train, so that's what we did. Once I'd calmed down and got the route sorted etc I felt a bit more philosophical about the whole thing and decided if it was meant to be I would get the plane and if not then I wouldnt.
To cut an already rambling story short I made it to the check-in desk about 15mins late but it worked out ok and I got to Ireland safely to meet with my family (Phew!). I warned them about the dilemna via text earlier but on arrival was able to explain exactly what had happened as we drove out of the airport. I finished by saying that I think God wanted me and Em to travel together, as it was complicated to get out of Somerset and back on the motorway so she needed a navigator, and also she was quite drowsy at one point so it was good I was there to chat and sing with her and keep her awake as she drove :) My sister responded with something along the lines of "I dont think God made you miss the train Jess, you could've done that by yourself you know, not absolutely everything is mapped out by God - free will and all that?!"
I have to admit this left me a little deflated, and then a bit hacked off, and then back to the good old defiance! :)
One of the lessons I took away from New Wine was that being a Christian is not always about what you do, it's about who you are. It's about letting God permeate every aspect of your life, living for Him in everything you do, not just the big stuff. And surely it works both ways?? God doesn't just guide us in the big life-changing decisions and events, he's there every step of the way, loving us and supporting us. We cant know what little changes we make or little events which happen to us will impact greatly on our path in life or the lives of others (Think Sliding Doors and Benjamin Button!) and we cant know where and when God's hand is guiding, we are not party to the big plan for our lives - Jeremiah 29:11.
Ok, so maybe me missing my train had nothing to do with the Big Man Upstairs, maybe it was simply human error, but surely the important thing is that Emma and I were willing to believe that he could've had a hand in it, that he might want to be involved in the 'little stuff'.
We are always told that God is The Father, that he loves us like a parent, unconditionally. So why is it so hard to believe that God might be there for the finger painting as well as the PhD? Wouldn't a parent soothe you when you graze your knee or bang your head, not just be there to hold your hand for a serious operation? One of my favourite phrases is 'God is in the details', and I am constantly amazed by how true this is. I mean, even if we forget humans and the capacity he must have to watch over and care for us all, he makes every snowflake and leaf individual! We may never truly grasp how incredible our Lord is, or understand why it is that he delights in us, but we must never underestimate the reach of His love .
I'll never know whether He was influencing what happened that day, but I do know that together Em and I muddled through Somerset and both got to our destinations safely (and on time!), and enjoyed the journey along the way, so miniature disasters do sometimes have happy endings :)
