In June, the guys take time off work, leave all their cares behind to travel together up North to stay for a weekend in a cabin. As you may - or may not- be able to imagine, this is a weekend packed full of "guy kind of fun". They fish, golf, cook over open fires... They don't take showers or change undergarments - or so we're told. Although, if all senses are intact, it's a tale that needs no telling. The kind of camaraderie that only a man can appreciate.
In July the gals travel North...exchanging the demands of day to day life for relaxing by the water, shopping, CHOCOLATE, and girly salads. We stay up late talking and playing games, we sleep in...and do nothing that we don't want to do. It's fabulous.
Proverbs 16:9 says, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps."
This is a word of wisdom that I have hidden in my heart - so I won't forget. I have set my course...to follow Jesus and do the best I can to figure out what that means to my every day. So, if I have my course set in the right direction, I can trust God with ordering my steps (which to me seems to be the more difficult thing). I love this. I love that God will determine my steps. Every day, I only need to draw close and trust. I may not be able to see where I will end up, but I stay the course.
Our adventure this year was like that. with the sale of the Sikora cabin, our trip took on many new steps. Earlier in the year the course was set - we were going on this weekend, we were not certain of where we would end up, but our course was set. Just as it happens in life, the weekend developed one step at a time. Cindy, being very creative, decided it would be fun for us all to be surprised. With our blessing, she made reservations not revealing where and the mystery began. The mystery grew more curious when we received a packing list that consisted of one flat sheet and two packs of bubble gum. (Were we going to some strange Toga party?)
Along the way there were times that I could have said no to the trip. There were obstacles to overcome. Even the week of the trip, I found myself considering changing courses. Apprehension over what I would experience along with what the trip would cost was causing me to give the trip second thoughts. I wasn't always able to see the gain, what I would miss if I got off course.
I stayed the course, and joined my friends on this adventure - with one flat sheet and two packs of bubble gum. Do you ever find that the steps taken along the way seem not to have the potential for greatness that you hope for? There are times when steps seem senseless, a bit off course even.
The course was set, the steps being determined one at a time and... I found myself on an adventure that I may have been too cautious to plan if it was I who determined the steps.
I am grateful I stayed the course. As it is in this life of following Jesus, the steps ahead do not always make sense. There is almost always a cost. Sometimes the steps are painful. It is tempting to change courses. Here is a picture that illustrates the adventure of following Jesus in so many ways.... Stay the course. Live the adventure. (click to view show)
6 comments:
i can always count on the public health nurse!
just give me one of those blow up kayaks and point me to the boundary waters!
That's amazing and scary and brave and...wow...
are you kidding me? This coming from the girl who said "no more canoeing, it's too dangerous! "
Was that really you? :) Lookd like huge fun!
i know, the bravery is astounding. my friends needed me and i had to get them through it - fearful is no way to live!
some time i'll share with you the secret of overcoming any minor anxiety that may come with these thrill seeking adventures....
what on earth was the gum and sheet for?
so about the gum and the flat sheet... now that you have all wondered (I received phone calls and emails about this -how fun!) about this for as long as i had to...
the flat sheet was for bedding - the cabin was not air conditioned, so if we needed a blanket it wouldn't be more than a sheet - not a toga party, maybe next year
the bubble gum, hubba bubba, was a game that cindy had planned. she had our husbands (who never said a word) send the answers to 10 different questions, for each one we got wrong (not matching that of our husband) we had to chew a piece of bubble gum. After 16 years of marriage...I chewed a lot of gum! Pink Lemonade Bubble Yum should be banned! and as my public service announcement....chewing six pieces of this gum at one time is not safe.
hope you are all having a fantastic summer!
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