Many of you may remember my 24-hour trip I took with Abby, Elijah and Naomi from the United States to Italy when I was 4.5 months pregnant in January 2010. Although that was one of the most challenging times I have had in travel, it translated into one of my favorite events from 2010. Why?
1. It helped me to learn to put things in perspective. I still struggle to remember that my little trials are not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, but that time was a turning point for me. because as I sat waiting 10 hours in the Philadelphia airport, the a catastrophe in Haiti was unfolding. It is much harder to complain about a late flight when people are losing their lives, homes and families.
2. It showed me God is able to do abundantly more than I could ever ask or imagine. One of the great things about trials is that they push you beyond what you thought your limits were. We often sell the power of God short with what we are able to endure. We may have high hopes for what He can accomplish for us, but ask us what we can suffer through and our sights are usually set pretty low. We only want to be stretched a little. When we pray big prayers, those prayers are usually in the form of God performing some type of miracle, not for us to go beyond what we think we can withstand. That trip caused me to step back and realize that the little things I think are inconveniences are just minor ways God is stretching my capacity to live joyfully amidst trials and temptations.
I hope in the coming year I can approach trying times with perspective and hope in God’s strength,
I love your positive perspective on the trip. It’s encouraging.
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