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July 11, 2006
let the grace begin...
so, to top off getting engaged this week, i also get to plan a two week vacation to puerto rico...
jensen and i had been talking about doing this since we hung out with his family over the holidays, but with the fast, planning (and even the reality of the trip) had been put on hold. but God gave it back!
i have really had a heart to make sure this trip was God's and not just some vacation. in fact, i realized part of why God was withholding this trip from me was because i was putting my hope in it for rest and restoration. for those of you who don't know me as well, let me tell you, i am NOT a good rester. i am always crazy busy. my job demands crazy hours a lot (especially with two national conferences this summer).
this past school year was the most demanding i've experienced and so has this summer as a conference manager. i had been hoping that if i just busted my butt and pushed through, i would make it to august and then be able to breathe.
THANKFULLY, God showed me over the last month that he wanted me to have rest here and now. the fast really allowed for that. i spent hours just resting, praying, getting in the Word, being with people. it was so good.
but anyway, so back to the vacation...
i really wanted to see God's hand in this and surely i have already.
1. i asked off from july 24-august 16 and ACTUALLY got it. that's crazy.
2. God's sovereignty in our tickets. so get this...
we go to look at tickets again sunday night. we run into jensen's friend abel, who sends us to a website where he said tickets were really cheap. we go to the site and it looks like tickets are $100 cheaper than any of the other sites (yes, if it looks too good to be true, it is). we, foolishly, decide to plunge ahead and buy them.
we go through all the steps and it gets charged to my credit card. as we are looking at the itinerary, jensen says, "wait, we didn't type in my information." stomach drops out. oh my goodness. we only bought ONE ticket. this ticket was $200 MORE than other sites, not $100 less for two tickets!
now folks, this was a $600 mistake. less than 12 hours after we get engaged. amazingly enough, neither of us freak out (believe me, we are not even-keeled people, this IS a miracle). we email the company to tell them i need to cancel my reservation. i had actually read the terms and agreements before we bought it (which i NEVER do) and i knew it was refundable with a $75 fee.
so, we were bummed about the fee. that's $75 down the drain that we could have done something useful with. but we go on with life.
the next morning, when i get to work, i get an email from the company saying that since i contacted them so quickly, they weren't even going to charge me the $75! can you BELIEVE that?! God covered our first $600 mistake for free.
whoa.
now i shouldn't be shocked. i mean, look at the cross, folks. God is obviously in the business of covering debts. but dang, sometimes (ALMOST ALWAYS) i forget it has nothing to do with desert, and everything to do with him.
yeah, so God's grace is ABOUNDING. and, i'm even more convinced this trip is in his hands and he knows exactly what he wants out of it!
so, pray for us. we need it. but we're still excited.
Posted by Autumn at July 11, 2006 04:46 PM