"Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study
how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed-that
exhilarating finish in and with God-he could put up with anything along the way:
Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right
alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that
story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That
will shoot adrenaline into your souls!" (Heb 12:2-3, MSG)
Our hosts near Schwangau, in Bavaria, Germany, were super hospitable. They made
us aware of a very special event in their vicinity that would be taking place
the next day at a teahouse in the nearby town of Eisenberg: an Alpenblazen
(Alpenhorn) concert. There would be seven people blowing music from individual
long Alpenhorns, and as we are music enthusiasts and had never been to such a
concert, we wanted to see it.
There were a couple of added bonuses as well. A short hike from the teahouse lie
the ruins of -not one but two! - Medieval castles. These castles were not in any
tourist guides, and we were almost as excited to find and explore these ruins as
we were to hear the concert.
My wife carefully took down the directions, all given in German, naturally, and
as evening began to come upon us, we found ourselves heading for Eisenberg. We
found the town with minimal difficulty; but once there, we had no idea where to
go. It was a tiny town, but nowhere did we see a teahouse or the ruins of
castles.
We asked a boy for his help, but he just shrugged and ran off. We then asked a
lady walking down the road, but she simply turned her back on us and walked the
other way. Maybe it was the way we were slaughtering the language that made them
afraid? Finally we enquired of a lady on a bike. She knew exactly how to get
there, but because my wife addressed her in German, she must have thought we
were masters of the language, for she gave us the directions a bit too fast for
our German abilities!
My wife was sure she said to turn right at the next road, so we did.
Unfortunately, this wasn't a road at all, but the entrance to someone's
property, and that someone was far from happy to find us in his hills. He began
to yell at us. At least my wife, who has a slightly better German vocabulary
than the rest of us, understood his tirade of angry words; nonetheless, he
wouldn't stop for her to even apologize, let alone explain that we were lost.
Finally he paused long enough for my wife to say that we didn't read German very
well. His face became an even darker shade of red as he began shouting about how
road signs are international, and if we couldn't figure out what a "do not
enter" sign looked like, then we had better not be driving in Germany! My wife
didn't bother to tell him that when it came to road signs, "international" meant
"Europe" and did not include North America. She decided instead that perhaps she
should learn a bit more about European signage, and without another word to the
still-screaming man, we turned around and left his property.
We stopped to ask a couple of farm workers next, and then a couple of other
people as well. Each time we gained a tiny bit more information. Perhaps if our
knowledge of German had been a little better, we wouldn't have had to bother so
many people; but we eventually were able to put together the information we
understood from each Eisenberg citizen, and we finally found ourselves at our
destination in time to visit - and even enjoy! - both castle ruins before the
concert began. Everything after that was subliminal, from the music to the ice
cream to the red current and apple juice. All our trials were forgotten; we were
in a heavenly realm.
It would have been easy for us to give up. After all, it was just a concert, and
the trials we faced could have easily led us to discouragement. Had we done
that, however, we would have missed a heavenly bliss.
We were not created to give up. We were destined to love and care for one
another, especially our spouses. Believe me, we will have our fair share of
tribulation; but instead of fighting against one another, we should support each
other. Our destination is not another wife or another husband. (Do we really
think the next spouse would work out better than the first?) Our destination is
unity within our current marriages. Whatever else attracts our attraction will
not lead to bliss. We need to learn to enjoy what we already have instead of
focusing on what we don't have. With God's guidance, we will reach our
destination…Even with serious gaps in communication skills! All we have to do is
keep focused on the "destination" of happy marriages, and keep seeking God's
guidance in finding it. Let's focus on our destination.
Do you have troubles finding your destination? Call GOD. After all, He is our
ultimate destination! Enjoy the ride!
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.