Stuck in Houston ...

Saturday, May 28, 2011. Yesterday I tried to travel back from a conference in the south of the US. But a plane was two hours late and I missed my intercontinental flight. Now I am stuck in a hotel in Houston.

Things might not work out …

There are days, when things do not work out. Often, on days where things do not work, it is not only one thing which goes wrong. Yesterday, for example, we were sitting in the airport. The plane was late, and they decided to put us on a shuttle and drive us to the next destination. But then this took a long time to get the shuttle, to put everyone in, to collect the tickets, etc etc.

Then, we had to drive for two hours through plain Texas. You could think: that is not that bad. But you do not see much on the motorway, and when you are with eleven people squeezed into a little shuttle, it is not very convenient. Next, the arrival at the airport: we tried to get the plane - hoping it was late. But it was gone. Of course, now we needed to talk to the airline and find alternatives. So joint the queue again. They gave me a hotel voucher. So I joined another queue (after changing the terminal) to retrieve my luggage. It took 1 1/2 hours to get the suitcase, waiting in the baggage claim area without any option to move forward or backward.

After that, it was a little better. The shuttle drove around 15 minutes and I had a hotel room, could still get some dinner (around 21:45) and the bed was comfortable, I even had an internet connection for free. I had to inform my family, so set the alarm clock to 2am to make a call, and went to bed again after that. Now we will see …

God's ways are different …

The experiences with being stuck on some journey are an example of rather general experiences. Our life does not always work out straight. And it is not God's task to straighten everything all the time. We are part of the human community, which knows pain and problems on many levels of life.

God's ways are different. He wants to be with us where we are, with all the problems and difficulties. In our challenges, he will help us. He wants us to grow in the middle of the interruptions of our routine, of our plans and tasks. All this came to my mind when I was sitting at the baggage belt yesterday evening, waiting for 10, for 20, for 40, for 60, for 90 minutes to get my luggage back.

The Old Testament often confirms God's provision in the middle of the difficulties. I can confirm that last night, I got a burger and a beer, and had a relaxed end of the day. Having internet connection for me was a part of that, since my 7-days internet which I had purchased for the US is now expired. It is interesting, to get to know the Lord, in times of joy, and in times of trouble, and to learn how he looks at things and what he will do in our particular situation! ... more texts