Tag: waiting

God’s Timing

“Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born to him.” (Genesis 21:5)

When specific verses of the Bible seem to jump off the page, I feel like God wants me to pay attention. It’s almost as if He is speaking to me directly. Genesis 21:5 can be taken two ways. On  the surface, Abraham waited a long time for his wife to give birth to their promised child. On a deeper level, Abraham lived long enough to see God’s purpose for his life become reality.

Some people think once we reach our retirement years, our best days are behind us. I retired from teaching at age 60 and published my first book at 66. I’m a firm believer God’s timing is never too late! But sometimes our creative projects remain on the back burner for years.

I’ve had a picture book idea, Manatee School, in various stages of development for ten years. I’d bring the manuscript out—toss around the words, and make more revisions than I can count. In 2015 I pitched Manatee School to several editors, only to be turned down because they were looking for other genres. Eventually I rewrote the rhyming picture book into a Clubhouse Junior Magazine nonfiction article, Counting Manatees. Last year I entered my Manatee School  picture book manuscript in the 2023 Florida Tapestry Awards and won honorable mention.

Since then, the idea of publishing another book filled me with dread. I did not want to experience any more rejections, nor did I want the stress which accompanies launching another book.  That was until God spoke to me through Abraham’s story.

Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born. Biblical research shares that the “waiting” period was necessary to test Abraham’s and Sarah’s faith. When Abraham was 75, God promised him that his descendants would be a great nation. At that time Sarah was in her sixties and barren. She was well beyond child-bearing age, and laughed at the thought of being a mother.

After ten more years of waiting, Sarah decided to speed up God’s timing by making her own plan. She encouraged Abraham to sleep with her Egyptian servant, Haggai, who conceived Ishmael. But Ishmael was not the child God had promised Abraham.

When Sarah rushed ahead with her own plans, God could see the couple’s faith had not grown enough to warrant His miracle child, the one to be the carrier of the covenant. So He added another fifteen years to Sarah’s barrenness. God did not doubt himself or his promise. He knew His words would come to pass in His timing. “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” Romans 11:29 (NASB)

God had a timeline which involved Abraham and Sarah fully trusting in Him rather than relying on human possibilities. Their faith is noted in Hebrews 11:12, “And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.” God wants everyone to know He is still in the miracle working business!

God sees the big picture of my life, and Manatee School is my promised child.  Like Abraham and Sarah, I have experienced a delay. Perhaps God is waiting for me to be more faithful to the work. Maybe He wants me to add something to the story to make it more relatable to children. The day after I read about Abraham and Sarah, I wrote new characters (a child and her grandfather) into the plot. I have a feeling God has not “closed the book” regarding the publication of Manatee School. Remembering Abraham helps me trust God’s timing.

If you are in the waiting stage of finishing a creative work, don’t lose sight of the finish line. Pray and ask God if you need to make any changes. Trust Him to give you the ideas and discipline you need to bring your project to fulfillment.

When Airline Travel Goes Wrong

We thought we had it made. With boarding passes in hand and luggage stowed, Herb and I relaxed at the Orlando (MCO) airport in plenty of time to board our flight. The sunny skies confirmed we had good weather for flying. Our itinerary included traveling to Newark, New Jersey from Orlando. Once in Newark, we would embark on a night flight to London.

Herb thought of everything. He even reserved seats with extra leg space on the flight to London to ensure our comfort. We planned to sleep on the plane and arrive rested and ready to see a few sights in London before meeting our Viking tour group.

Then we heard an announcement. “The three p.m. flight to Newark is delayed. Liberty International is closed due to storms. Stay tuned for more information.” An hour went by. I tried to occupy my mind with a crossword puzzle. The four p.m. announcement repeated the same information.

Herb began to pace the airport like a caged tiger. “Looks like we’re going to miss our connection to London.” I continued to focus on my crossword puzzle and hope for the best.

Finally at five p.m. the staff started boarding procedures. The plane taxied out of the gate. Then the captain announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m sorry—Newark is not allowing any planes to land. The storm has gotten worse. We will need to go back to the gate. I promise to update you in an hour.”

So we sat. And we sat. True to his word, at six-thirty the captain told us nothing changed. People were starting to panic. Word had spread there were two dogs stowed in the baggage section of the plane. In ninety-degree heat with no water, how would the animals survive?

Soon the captain announced anyone who wanted to exit to plane, could do so. Someone was going to take the dogs out of the hold and give them water. Whew! The passengers cheered.

We remained in our seats. At this point I didn’t want to be left behind if the plane departed. I also didn’t want to join the number of passengers who might delay our flight any longer with their goings and comings. I began to regret my decision when the person next to me returned with a pizza. The protein bar I ate a couple of hours ago couldn’t compete with the aroma. My stomach churned from hunger and anxiety.

Finally, at eight p.m. we were cleared for Newark. Herb and I knew we were doomed. What would happen when we arrived? Our future hung in the balance.

Finally at eleven p.m. we landed in Newark. We rushed to our connecting gate, only to discover our flight to London took off about fifteen minutes prior to our arrival. We were told to go to customer service to find out what to do next.

Tired and disappointed, we joined the line with other disgruntled customers. When our turn came, we pleaded our case to the attendant behind the desk. After checking her computer she said, “Well, it looks like you might be able to fly stand-by to London first thing in the morning at eight o’clock. You will need to board at seven. “

“What do we do until then?” Herb asked.

“You can take a taxi to a hotel for the night. But you will need to collect your luggage from baggage claim and recheck it in the morning.” she responded.

Herb and I moved away from the counter to discuss our options. We got back in line until it was our turn to speak to the attendant again.

“We’ve decided to stay here. We don’t want to be late in case we can board the early flight. Do you have any pillows or blankets?” Herb asked.

The attendant stepped into a side closet and returned with two blankets. (The same super thin kind they give out on planes.) She didn’t produce any pillows.

Herb decided to buy a neck pillow from a self-serve vendor. We took the blankets and our carry-on luggage to the only piece of carpeted floor we could find. A few other wretched souls were curled up across from us.

“Goodnight, Herb.” I tried to get comfortable by resting my head on top of my purse. It didn’t work. Sleep eluded me. Blame it on the glaring ceiling lights. Blame it on the incessant droning of airport “techno” music. Blame it on the guy talking on the phone a few feet away. On top of all this, I couldn’t get warm. Every time I looked at Herb his eyes were closed and I thought I better stay quiet.

About five a.m. the activity in the airport picked up. A stream of passengers with early flights rolled by our “bedroom.” Herb and I picked up our blankets and stumbled off to find coffee and breakfast.

After breakfast, we checked in with the receptionist at our new gate and took our seats in the waiting area. Finally after another hour of anxious waiting our names were called! We had seats on the next flight to London. Is this what it might feel like when God looks in his “book of names” for entry to heaven? We were elated.

Eight more hours of flying and a five hour time difference put us at London Heathrow airport around eight p.m. Twenty-seven hours had passed from when we set foot in the Orlando airport. We made it, but of course our luggage did not. This was a perfect example of what can go wrong, did go wrong.

What did this experience teach me? What are the lessons I learned?

“Traveling is brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and lose sight of the familiar comforts of home. You are constantly off balance.” —James Michner.

This quote rings true with me. Traveling can be brutal. No matter how carefully a person plans, forces beyond his control can change everything. Do you agree? Leave a comment. I also welcome any travel tips you may want to offer.