Saturday, July 11, 2009

What I learned in the desert...



Well God gave me many life lessons in the desert.  
One is take more water than you need, two is I'm getting a better camera...period!
Another is mountain air is the BEST in the world and it DOES smell like pines
and another thing is...it's possible to go somewhere special even in the car you didn't want to take.

Well we've got two cars in this family...a 2002 Dodge Caravan and a 2000 Accent...courtesy of Hyuandai.  One seats 7...the other...4 on a good day!

Well my van wasn't an option.
Due to putting money into everything but our cars...my air conditioning is out and it needs a major tune up. Every time we get ready to shell out that $800... something else comes along and snaps it up.  

Well I was determined to rent a car.

And I do mean determined.

Under no circumstances was I taking my husband's little red car to Phoenix...although it had 5 seat belts...it's too small...we don't fit...how will we make it up major hills...blah, blah, blah.


Well God provided us a car...

and it was...

(my hubby and oldest at a rest stop outside Flagstaff (what a beautiful city!)

you guessed it...the red car!

I really felt sorry for my oldest...at times I could feel his knees in my back and my middle gets anxious being crowded...he had a hard time too! My middle was stuck inbetween and just along for the ride...

But you know something...

they complained a little...(shocked they weren't going in the van...)
then they sat back...and enjoyed the ride.

They complained more about the car being too cold then being squished. After the first few hours...we stopped thinking the car was too small and just thought... this is our mode of transportation.

God has designed us humans to constantly adapt.  Think about that!

Isn't that a blessing?
Sometimes in life we don't get to have things "our" way. God has something else in store. In the van everyone would have had their own row.  The big boys in the back, my youngest in the middle and us big folks in the front.  In the red car....we were all together. What was said in the front was heard in the back and vise versa. We talked together more (for good and bad) with the boys since we were so close.  My hubby's phone provided instant jute box requests and we all sang alone.

Another benefit with a car that small was gas.  We spent a little over $100 on the trip!  Now with all that savings I knew for sure we were going to stay in a nice hotel our last night.  I figured...we saved so much staying with his sister...we'd splash it out the last night.  

Wrong again!

My hubby had other plans (don't they usually.)  Well he grew up not staying in nice hotels and my family always stayed with family.  But I'm a former state employee who use to travel and I've been spoiled by hotels with the name SUITES at the end...you know the major chains, with indoor pools, two rooms and concierge.  Well my husband's other plans included the name Motel and a number...if you use that number 3 times you get the sign of the anti-Christ.  Well we stayed there.  And upon rising we saw...


If we would have stayed at ANY of the other hotels...we would have missed it.
Check the "Any" The Motel 6 was the only one by the diesel engine park! Amazing!

So that's just a small taste of what I learned in the dessert.
God has things in store for us...
but they're in His timing. 
Allow Him to use other people to shape you into what 
HE wants you to be and not WHAT YOU THINK you ought to be!

The bible says..

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD
As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts!" 
Isaiah 55: 8-9

7 comments:

Katie said...

I'm glad you had a good time in Arizona, my home. I miss it tons and tons being on the East coast...well accept for July and August, then I'm mostly thankful. It is a beautiful state and quite diverse in its landscape. Great vacation location.

Love Abounds At Home said...

Sounds like you had a fun vacation. I love Flagstaff. We would go there at least once a year when it snowed. I'm really proud of you for taking a trip to the dessert in the summer heat!

Lorrie said...

Did anyone notice I wrote DESSERT! Someone (thanks Bethany) mentioned on my blog...I just changed it to desert...sorry I'm not a great speller...

Lorrie said...

Oh...and I really loved Flagstaff. The mountains are incredible. I kept smelling the air. I didn't want to leave for the grand canyon. I didn't spend enough time in Sedona. My husband and I are trying to figure out how to go there without the boys for some R&R.

really.truly said...

Maybe you were just hungry when you wrote it ;) Craving some "dessert".

I'm so glad you shared what your learned in the desert! You are so right about adapting. That little red car will be such a fun memory from the trip!

Bethany said...

Flagstaff is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. We often say that's the only place in Arizona we'd consider living; unfortunately there's not a lot of engineering jobs out there.

~Lisi P. said...

I'm glad you guys had a great time!!

I love what you wrote:

"God has things in store for us...
but they're in His timing.
Allow Him to use other people to shape you into what HE wants you to be and not WHAT YOU THINK you ought to be!"

It definitely makes me think on the people God has brought into my life & the blessings that they are to me. Thanks for the reminder!!!