Just Another Potato...

When I ran cross country for Grossmont High school, I enjoyed the leadership of Coach Lib.  He did much more than teach us how to run competitively.  He gave us great insight into being part of a team, knew how and when to challenge us to reach our hidden potential, and understood the power of motivation.  During his pep talks, he would talk about how our character was being built by our choices.  When we were faced with obstacles or difficulties he would say, "That's just another potato in the stew of life."  That's a positive way to see our struggles - like a potato that can be swallowed and put away for good.

As believers we know God allows things to happen we cannot.  He knows that good will come from circumstances He allows which we never could have imagined.  Unlike the natural process of digestion, God is able to supernaturally make good out of obstacles there's no way we could chew or swallow.  What a comfort this is to us, knowing God remains in control!

This morning our family disembarked at 6:15am Sydney time, had our passports stamped, and headed over to Carousel #4 to pick up our baggage.  Our flight from Carlsbad to Sydney had been delayed 20 minutes, shrinking our 45 minute layover to mere minutes.  Thankfully the gates were close!  But it became apparent as we waited at the carousel in Sydney watching bag after bag pass by without seeing one of our eight checked bags, we had managed to make a connection our bags had not!  It was later confirmed that our bags had indeed reached LAX, but were somewhere else than Sydney this morning.  We weren't the only ones with missing bags either!

Needless to say this was an unexpected snag in our travels.  Laura and the boys had only the clothes on their backs, we were without toiletries, and separated from things considered precious enough to cart 7,500 miles!  Though disappointed with this minor setback, we were blessed beyond measure to be met by two women from church who woke up early (and one young man on summer holiday!), faced the traffic and tolls, and met us with joyful embraces.  I would rather lose 10 bags forever and receive the love of Christ than to have 10 cases filled with gold without God's love.  How blessed we are to have the fellowship, unity, and love of Jesus Christ displayed from His people!

We still do not know how the missing baggage story will end.  Will our bags ever be found?  I hope so!  But even in this God can and will be glorified, and even this setback is just a small potato in the stew of life.  We'll chew it up and grow stronger.  Praise God He has given us a life worth living and brothers and sisters in Christ to share it with!