Nevertheless, I am continually with you.
You have held my right hand.
You will guide me with your counsel,
and afterward receive me to glory.
Whom do I have in heaven?
There is no one on earth whom I desire besides you. – Psalm 73:23-25 (WEB)
I write this soon after returning from a Spring Break trip to Buffalo. While it is in the 80s today, Buffalo did not feel at all like spring. Many of the things that we had planned to do where closed due to ice. In particular, we spent a day at Niagara Falls, but most of the attractions were not yet open for the summer. When we walked to one of the viewing platforms near top of the horseshoe falls, we could see why. It was covered in at least a foot of ice from the spray freezing to the ground. I had not expected it to be warm at the falls, but I also did not expect chunks of ice to still be in the river and mist to be freezing to the concrete. Needless to say, we needed to adjust our plans a little bit.
Even though things were not as expected, we still had a wonderful trip. I had scrambled for a backup plan of going to the Buffalo History Museum, but was less than sure that it would go over well. Yet, Cade enjoyed himself with it, even sharing about the things he learned there as among the highlights of the trip for him. We also spent more time sitting in the hotel room watching television than I expected, but since we rarely have time to do that at home it still felt like a luxury. We even ordered room service one night. Above anything else, it was simply a joy for the two of us to have a few days together away from our daily schedules.
It is hardly novel to point out that try as we might to plan things out, reality has a way of changing those plans. All we can do it make the best of the unexpected turns that come our way. Within that, we can trust that God is with us in the adventure of our lives unfolding. While some take comfort in an image of God already knowing all the twists and turns that are to come and gently guiding us through them, I find a stronger sense of God in imagining God on the roller coaster with us, laughing uproariously at the unanticipated drops, twists, and turns. It is not one or the other. God can take joy in the adventurous surprise while at the same time comforting us when the shocking hairpin turns of life overwhelm us. In all of it, God is by our side helping us to recognize the good that lies in the events that catch us off guard and push against our expectations.