Lost in the Unfamiliarity

“In that wonderful day you will sing: “Thank the LORD! Praise his name! Tell the nations what he has done. Let them know how mighty he is!” Isaiah 12:4 NLT

Yesterday was the 4th of July and we celebrate with fireworks going off everywhere.  My daughter and I decided to take a road trip to initiate the new car I just obtained and so we traveled from Muskegon to Lansing in hopes of viewing some spectacular displays of fireworks.  We arrived early enough to enjoy dinner at Cracker Barrel and then after we located where to view the fireworks from we took a small side trip to possibly jump in a nearby lake.  Have you ever not appreciated the area in which you live before, because we surely were beginning to thank God for our Lake Michigan access that we often take for granted.

When we left Muskegon it was hot but as we drove closer to the center of our state, it became even hotter!  We found this little park and we were hoping to cool off a bit only to discover this man made waterhole filled with bass fish and such.  It was a beautiful little place but not much of a desire did we have to jump in.  Instead we took a short hike around the water and discovered some of Gods beauty everywhere.  Soon it was getting dark and we headed to watch the fireworks.

As we waited in the 98 degrees of heat at 10pm in the evening, we noticed Lansing was MUCH different than Muskegon.  There was way more hustle and bustle.  We saw several police in every form, from bikers to motorcyclist and the crusiers.  We saw 3 or 4 ambulances go by and police with flashers were everywhere and a few firetrucks. We did not feel unsafe but it was a much different atmosphere than in our little town.  The display of fireworks was pretty spectacular and when it was over we were eager to get back on the road for the hour and half drive.

Well, needless to say we got lost in the dark and the detours, which is the basis of this blog.  Sometimes we go searching for something better out there.  We are unsatisfied with what we have right in front of us and the trip we are on becomes scary and dark.  We become lost in the unfamiliarity of where we find ourselves.  How many times has that happened to us in our walk with God? We think we can find better and instead of waiting for God to provide we go out of our way to seek better things for ourselves.

All in all it was a pretty awesome trip!  We got to see uncharted areas and had some fun along the way.  On the way home, I worshiped and sang and God honored me with a light show of His own as lightening danced across the sky in front of me.  God is so good to us, even when we go out of our way to see if there is better out there, He still loves us and welcomes us home!