Take away the dross from the silver, and the smith has material for a vessel; Proverbs 25:4 ESV
This is a strange journey and one I trust is His plan for taking away the dross and making me into material worthy of shaping into a vessel.
What that vessel will be or how long this journey is, I do not know; so daily (at the office surrounded by chaos and a gazillion minutia) and nightly (at the hotel cloaked in loneliness and quiet) I must trust him with this strange path.
To say I didn’t sleep well last night is an understatement. Anticipating a 7am flight does not bode well for deep sleep, so when I got to my window seat, it was a small, welcome reprieve. My Tim-Daly-look-alike neighbor was gracious and said I didn’t snore; he was too kind. I’m sure I was an embarrassing mouth-wide-open, drooling sight.
As the flight descended, we started chatting and turns out he is a private pilot and was on his way to St. Martin to pick up a jet for some clients. It was a day trip and he would leave the island “whenever they were done playing”. He asked if I was traveling on business and I said yes, this was a my weekly route. He then asked if I had left a companion at home (at this point I was quickly assessing if he was wearing a wedding band). I said no, no one at home, and thankfully no kids because I probably wouldn’t do this job if I had kids and I probably wouldn’t if I had a husband either. (I know, face palm. This is what happens when I don’t get enough sleep.) He gave me a look of sincere, deep compassion and asked if I had one where I was going for work. Again, “no”, to which he said I ought to find someone to at least take me to dinner. At this point I assumed he was asking from non-SVU-like motives and said I was single and praying for a husband. (I know, another face palm.) He asked about internet dating and I gave my patented (patent pending) answer of “internet dating is like looking for a diamond in the sewage; they are out there, just few and far between and the search can get a little messy and when you have high standards and high morals the options become even more sparse”. He laughed and then said maybe I need to lower my morals and standards, to which I smiled and said, “alas, therein lies the problem”. He then went on to apologize for his sex and how too many of them were creeps (his words), then stuck his hand out to shake mine and introduce himself as Chris.
Off he went to his island-bound jet and off I went to my next flight, thankful to sit by a nice guy who was willing to converse even after witnessing my in-flight not-so-lady-like-snooze.
Here’s to Tim-Daly-look-alikes and internet dating!
“On the holy mount stands the city he founded…the Most High himself will establish her. ” Psalm 87:1 and 5
Last night while traveling home I had a couple moments of feeling weak and vulnerable. At one point the plane felt like it would be rattled apart by turbulence. Another moment, a wave of tiredness came over me while I waited for the next flight from Dallas to deliver my bag.
I awoke this morning thankful for my own bed, warm sunshine in the window and homemade coffee instead of hotel coffee. In the midst of these earthly comforts, I found myself searching for something Solid and Strong. I “randomly” opened to Psalms 87 and found the words “he founded” and “himself will establish her”. These words are in reference to a city that the Lord builds, but I take comfort them, because this is the character of the God I serve in this challenging season. I know he is also founding and establishing me, all the while he holds planes together and gives me grace while I await a delayed bag at the end of a long day.
#hardfightsoftheart
finalite 