What our failed family road-trip taught me about contentment…

If you’re following along on my social media accounts then you know we just got back from what appears to be a picture-perfect staycation in San Diego. What you don’t know is that absolutely nothing went as planned. I felt the Lord calling me within every moment of frustration & irritation of trying to get my way to let go and discover His plan.

Well this was supposed to be our end-of-summer road trip. The kids are starting school in two weeks and I was going for a memorable and scenic adventure down the coast of the 5 freeway. We were supposed to leave promptly at 10am to get to our first stop- the Orange County Fair for Ferris wheel photo ops, funnel cake, a few kid rides & the pig races of course! The kids if things went according to plan were then to nap & we would  wake them up as we stopped off at a beach close to San Diego to run in the shallow waves all before we got to my mother-in-laws house for a family dinner.

Well. That morning my husband announced that he was too far behind in his work to go the fair. We needed to leave later so he could meet some deadlines.  I was trying to swallow my irritation so it wouldn’t show up on my face and elicit an argument. “Why didn’t he tell me this last night- why didn’t he wake up earlier,” I selfishly thought. I had to pull it together real fast. This was an opportunity to be a patient & understanding team player. We were going to San Diego after all so my husband could work the Navy Gold Coast Conference- so he could provide for our family. My husband needed my support- not my disappointment so I managed to move along with the new plan without setting off the emotional explosives going on within myself on everyone else. Being the good husband that he is- Errol said we’d still have time to stop off at a beach along the way- plus we still had the eye candy of the coast to view or so I thought.

So around noon off we sailed. We didn’t get two blocks down the street before we had to turn around because I left my makeup bag. Off in a hurry I didn’t even check the route but just set off following Mapquest’s directives and it wasn’t long before I realized we were on the route through the dessert. It was putting us on the 15 the whole way there. Bummed I begged if we could at least stop at Lake Elsinore. We did. Immediately we all broke out in a nasty sweat and my phone almost overheated. It had to be 105 degrees out there. We rushed to use the public restrooms and take a quick picture before hurriedly getting back to the comforts of the car’s air condition. A stranger politely snapped this picture for us and I am literally shaking the sweat off my head from wearing my  hat outside all of 7 minutes LOL. 

Then Errol and I knew for sure this was God. It was His call to practice contentment. A call to let go of our way and follow His.

The words of the Apostle Paul came to mind, ” I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation…I can do all things through Christ Jesus who gives me strength.” Philippians 4: 11-13. In our almost 7 years of marriage and 10 years of being a couple we’ve found God’s word to be so true. There have been seasons when it seemed things just couldn’t get any worse and then the good times rolled in and we thought they couldn’t get any better. In the early days of our relationship when hard times hit (and they will) our circumstances led to a lot of fighting, fear & finger-pointing. As we’ve grown closer to God and each other we’ve learned we have no truer friend than Jesus Christ. He is an able provider. And we have learned to ride the waves of life holding on to the faithfulness and promises of God. We have learned to be content and find our worth and happiness not in our circumstances which can change in the blink of an eye- and not in any created thing- but in the Creator of all. We have learned that it’s not about us- that our circumstances and our responses to them are a part of a story that’s much bigger than the tale of our happiness- it all works together for our good and for God’s glory.

I won’t bore you with every detail of the next 5 days. But I will tell you that our plans continued to unravel and God’s plans continued to unfold. I had planned to work the conference with my husband and then we found out I wasn’t registered. Errol still had a phenomenal conference without my help. And the change of plans opened a door  for the kids and I to do some sightseeing around San Diego and spend some quality time with Errol’s parents.Errol left San Diego feeling hopeful about the connections he made during the conference. The kids and I left tanned due to our daily outdoor activities. We all left grateful to spend time with family and each other. We managed to get one date in the day we went home. As I went outside to pack up the truck I caught the most majestic San Diego sunset- the clouds were literally golden. I was in awe. I stopped packing and just stood still for a minute to take it all in. God’s ways are perfect. When I came back outside to put another load in the car the sunset had vanished. I was thankful I took in what I did while it was there because it was gone in a flash. I think that’s how God wants us to live. To take in his daily blessings with awe- to stop what we are doing and see what He is doing.  To live a content life serving God and others- not just ourselves.