The Wrong Turn
30 minutes in Iceland, and we were already lost. The map showed that a quick
jaunt down road 410 would connect us to Highway 1 without us having to drive
into Reykjavik. This sounded like a good plan to us, so we dutifully turned off
onto Road 410. But the narrow dirt road soon we found ourselves on couldn't be
right! Especially when we saw the chain link fence up ahead that crossed our
narrow dirt road!
And this set the standard for the rest of the trip. We got lost so many times
that our boys took to keeping track of how many times we got lost. They were
more than happy to point out our "record" of getting lost was 5 times on our way
to the same destination! I think we may now be famous in Iceland as the tourists
who spent the most time stopping unsuspecting pedestrians to ask for directions!
Good thing most people in Iceland speak very good English!
But in all reality, getting lost wasn't all that bad. That narrow dirt road that
we thought was road 410 was truly fascinating. Its cliff outcroppings were
out-of-this-world, moonlike in every aspect. We passed dozens of stables with
beautiful Icelandic horses, and we even encountered the remains of a house in
desertic surroundings. It truly was a hiker's heaven, and although we had lost
some precious time, we were glad for this mishap and thanked the Lord for
showing us some aspects of Iceland we would have otherwise missed.
Wrong turns can be learning experiences. Time is not everything, but enjoying
the presence of God is. How often don't we miss blessings because we are so
focused on trivial things, such as time? If we are open to the leading of God's
Spirit, we will never stop enjoying the blessings God bestows upon us, and our
hearts will be filled with uttermost thankfulness.
Did you know that this is God's will for each one of us? Check out this Bible
text: "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for
this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thess 5:16-18 NIV)
For some reason we have wandered away from the term "thankfulness". More often
than not we consider time our enemy, and there is just no time left over to be
thankful. How sad!
Our attitude also has a great impact on those around us.
"But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and
through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are
to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are
perishing." (2 Cor 2:14-15 NIV)
Do we even realize that we are emitting an "aroma"?
Some of us are putrid, if you know what I mean. It's like we are competing with
skunks. There is no way people like to hang around us! Others don't smell like
anything, really, and people have no idea what to make of them. Then there are
those whose focus is on Jesus. These are the ones who are constantly thankful
for anything that happens in their lives, either good or bad. They are the ones
who carry "the aroma of Christ", which attracts people who are in desperate
need.
In all reality, even amidst adversity we have reason to be thankful. Even in
these circumstances God never leaves us, sustaining us every step of the way.
It's in these times that we learn even more about trusting God and having Him as
a forever Friend.
Now, how will you spend your Thanksgiving Day? Will time be an issue? What kind
of aroma will you be spreading?
"Hey, we're lost again! I can't wait to see what God has up His sleeve!
Have a terrific Thanksgiving filled with plenty of "thank yous"!
Rob Chaffart