No Panic

I've been thinking about delayed luggage. It was no big deal, because for the past 25 years I've packed with the assumption that my checked bags would go astray. That means putting everything needed for survival in my carry-on. For this trip, that included my PowerPoint CDs, videos, handouts, and teaching notes for Sunday night's class. No panic. My suitcase was waiting at my host's home when we got back from the class.

Maybe there's a lesson there. Worse things than lost luggage lie in wait along our life-trail. What if we prepared accordingly? Whether trouble at work, financial crisis, disease, bereavement, or death, preparation would be wise. Whatever else you do, take time to get to know God well, let His Word work its way deep into your soul, and nurture your relationships with family and friends. That's my advice. If you do that, even when the "worst" comes at you, you can "laugh with no fear of the future" as in Proverbs 31:25. Assuming the worst and preparing accordingly does not lead to pessimism, but to optimism. All will be well.

Thank you so much for your prayers. I had some excellent conversations with students of all ages in the classes. And in between, God gave me a series of encounters with much-loved friends and relatives; each event felt like opening a valuable gift. Please permit one sentence to brag about our great-grandson Joshua and his parents who drove to our halfway meeting point Monday evening for a leisurely dinner together. The 3-hour evening classes resulted in a couple of late bedtimes with no bad consequences. And my dear brother drove us safely over increasingly icy roads Tuesday evening.

I wish I could introduce you to all the students I got to talk with. A young woman who's heading out to Uganda this summer. A mid-life woman who is feeling nudged towards China. Several men and women who faithfully reach out to hurting people in Milwaukee and/or help their churches do mission better. And wonderful Dan, the facilitator for both of the Milwaukee courses, who--even though he hates administrative details--devotes himself to this leadership role because of the potential impact on so many people for the sake of Christ's kingdom.

I got to spend a couple of hours at the office yesterday afternoon handling urgent matters and deleting spam from my inbox. Now leaving for kemo in a couple of hours. I don't want to be presumptuous and assume everything will be easy as usual, but I'll certainly be grateful if it is!

God bless your day.
Carol