Flexibility or Freeze

Yesterday, I was ready to continue investigating some mission territory in Tennessee where Glenmary might continue its long tradition of volunteer service.  The plans were made.  Appointments set.  Then came the rain.  Not just a little ran, but days of rain.  The Glenmary Volunteer Director, Joe, who was to travel with me, was unable to leave the volunteer site in Vanceburg, KY because the roads were flooded.  Plans cancelled, appointmens cancelled, new plans to be made, some folks disappointed and so it goes.  Yet, today I am enjoying a beautiful sunny day and completed other projects I was going to do later.  God is good, all the time.  All the time, God is good.

How do you handle such sudden changes in your life?  How do you handled cancelled plans or disappointments? As missioners flexiblitiy is a key to happiness.  Yet, for some rapid change, sudden cancellations, can cause them to freeze or a least be frosty with others.  Yet, there is so little that we can control in life that a good sense of flexiblity is very helpful.

I remember once, when another big event with lots of planning was cancelled at the last minute. A friend of mine, said, "So why plan at all?  It never seems to work out."  My response to her is the same today as then, "Without a plan, you might not be disappointed, but you will not go anywhere either."  A plan is just a guide, a hope, a way to move forward.  Then stuff happens and the plan must adapt or fail.  If I have no plan there is nothing to adapt and even the little that I might control is lost.  With a plan, I and others might experience disappointment, but we also might experience joy.  Few plans go as hoped, but with flexiblity and adaptability, the Holy Spirit might blow it a new way and most likely even a better way.



May the breeze of God lift you up.



For instance, because I am not in Tennessee, I have found time to write my blog.  Yes, the six appointments cancelled need to be rescheduled and time and effort for the previous plan has to be repeated.  Yet, the ground work for the future remains.  Flex, bend and twist. With flexibility, life is good. I do believe in rainbows!!

Often, I think of a tree.  When a strong wind comes, the branches will blow and some might break, but if the roots are strong the tree will survive.  Yet, if it is an ice storm and the branches are frozen they will mostly break and not bend.  The tree might still survive, but with greater damage and far more stress on the system.

In our lives, so much is beyond our control.  We cannot control the climate or the power of nature.  Yet, these impact our lives.  We cannot control everything about politics and enonomics, especially on a global bases.  Nor can we control the actions or opinions of our family, neighbors and those around us.  Shoot, sometimes, we cannot even control ourselves.  Yet, with the grace of God, I can learn to bend with various forces in the world, both good and evil, and not break.  With strong roots, I can be secure and have tranquility, even in the midst of chaos and confusion. 

As a missioner, we are like a billboard for all Christians.  We are to be a quick sign along the way, that faith, values, and mercy make sense.  Any person is to be able to look at us and say, hey, that way or attitude might just work.  As one missioner, my message on the billboard is not always clear and easy to read.  Yet, the ability to flex and not freeze has helped me be at peace in many places and many situations, especially, when my plans have not been achieved. 

Floods come.  We can not stop them.  Yet, Peace flows as well.  Stay rooted in God and bend with the breeze of the Spirit and discover the fruit of happiness.