We just returned home from a few days at the coast. It was a trip we’d been looking forward to for some time… we had been counting down the time for months. This was our chance to get away, a chance to rest and enjoy the beach, to spend time together as a family and celebrate the Fourth of July.
One hour before we were set to leave I received a phone call. The doctor wanted to follow up on something from a recent appointment and recommended that we see a specialist for further evaluation. In an instant, our excitement over vacation was replaced with uncertainty.
Questions began filling my mind. What if something is wrong? What happens next? How long will we have to wait for answers? If I’m honest, my first instinct wasn’t peace. It was panic. For most of my life, I’ve been quick to worry. I want answers immediately. I want to know how everything is going to turn out before I can rest.
However, my husband’s first reaction to anything is to pray. And so pray we did, but I admit I did not feel much like it. But over the past several months, the Lord has been gently impressing something on my heart:
Trust Me first.
Not after you’ve exhausted every possibility.
Not after you’ve searched the internet.
Not after you’ve imagined every outcome.
Trust Me first.
At my husband’s encouragement, I stepped away for a little while. I opened my Bible, sat quietly with the Lord, and let His Word begin to settle my anxious heart. I needed to be reminded that I wasn’t placing my hope in good news, quick answers, or my ability to fix the situation. I was placing my hope in the unchanging character of God.
By the time we finally pulled out of the driveway—about an hour later than we had planned—nothing about our circumstances had changed.
We still didn’t have answers. But something else had changed. Our perspective.
We were reminded that whatever awaited us when we returned home was already in God’s hands. There was nothing we could accomplish by worrying our way through vacation. So, as best we could, we entrusted it to Him and began our journey.
Several hours later, we finally arrived at our hotel. We were tired. We were hungry. And we were looking forward to settling into our room before heading out to enjoy our first evening at the coast. Instead, we were told our room wasn’t ready.
Forty-five minutes later, we were finally handed our room key. By then, our patience was wearing thin, and our stomachs were reminding us that we hadn’t eaten in quite a while.
When we opened the door, we discovered the room wasn’t exactly what we had reserved. The sofa, which was supposed to be a pull-out bed for the kids, wasn’t a pull-out at all. For a moment, I could feel that familiar frustration rising again.
Should we go back downstairs? Should we ask them to fix it? Should we insist on the room we had booked?
But honestly…we were exhausted and instead of letting another disappointment define our evening, we decided to make the best of it.
And you know what? It really was a beautiful room. The view overlooking the bay was incredible, and before long, we had settled in, laughed about the sleeping arrangements, and headed out for dinner.
Looking back, I’m thankful we didn’t allow that inconvenience to steal our first night together.
And we were reminded yet again of the necessity to Trust Him first.
As the weekend went on, the little curveballs kept coming.
The next morning, a simple mix-up with our breakfast and coffee order could have easily soured the start of our day. It wasn’t so much the mistake itself as the frustration surrounding it. I could feel my attitude beginning to shift, and I knew I had a choice. Would I let a cup of coffee determine the direction of my day, or would I choose gratitude instead?
Later in the trip, we visited the restaurant we look forward to every year. We had made reservations well in advance, but after arriving we waited nearly an hour past our reservation time to be seated. By the time we finally sat down, several of the menu items we had been looking forward to were unavailable, and honestly, after waiting so long, both my husband and I were so deflated we had lost our appetite.
Then came the moment that tested me the most. As we packed up to leave the beach, we couldn’t find my wallet. Before we had headed out that morning, my husband had tucked it away in what he thought was a safe place so it wouldn’t get lost or damaged in the sand. The only problem was…neither of us could remember where that safe place was.
Immediately, I felt the familiar wave of panic begin to rise. What if it was gone? What if someone had taken it?What if…
But almost as quickly as those thoughts came, another thought interrupted them. Trust Him first.
It wasn’t an audible voice, but it was a gentle reminder from the Lord of everything He had been teaching me over the past several months.
Trust Him before you panic.
Trust Him before you imagine the worst.
Trust Him before you try to control what you cannot.
Each of those instances were not necessarily big, disastrous moments. Ok, the wallet could have been but for each one of those annoying curveball moments, there were also blessings found within them. We found the wallet safe and secure not long after arriving at the hotel, exactly where my husband had placed it. The room was amazing, with an incredible view. The hotel was amazing and we were blessed to be there together as a family.
We had so many wonderful moments on that vacation that could have been ruined.
As I reflected on the weekend, I realized something. None of these things were major. No emergency. No catastrophe. Just one small frustration after another. Then it struck me how often that’s exactly how discouragement works.
Sometimes we don’t need a major crisis to distract us from God’s goodness. Sometimes a steady stream of little inconveniences is enough to rob us of our joy if we allow them to become the focus.
I’ll be honest—I didn’t respond perfectly every time. There were moments when I felt frustrated. Moments when my mind started racing ahead. Moments when I had to intentionally stop, pray, and remind myself that none of these inconveniences had changed who God is.
I had to come back.
Again and again.
Thankfully, my husband was a wonderful example of steady perspective. While I was tempted to dwell on what wasn’t going according to plan, he continually helped remind me to enjoy what God had placed right in front of us.
And there really was so much to enjoy. The beach we visited ended up offering free access for the holiday weekend. We spent an afternoon aboard the USS Lexington, which happened to be offering free admission to the first 500 visitors. It turned into one of our favorite parts of the trip—walking through history while surrounded by flags, veterans, and reminders of the sacrifices that have preserved our freedom. Even the restaurant that disappointed us surprised us in the end by discounting our meal because of the long wait.
God didn’t remove every inconvenience. But He quietly sprinkled reminders of His kindness throughout our weekend.
Perhaps my favorite moment happened after everything was over.
We were both exhausted from traveling home. My husband thought I was upset with him when, in reality, I was simply worn out. Years ago, that misunderstanding might have lingered or turned into an argument. Instead, we sat down and talked. We were intentional and we listened to each other. We clarified what each of us was feeling. What could have become distance instead became another reminder of God’s work in our marriage.
That conversation may not seem significant to anyone else, but to us, it was evidence of God’s grace continuing to shape us.
Looking back, I don’t remember our vacation as the trip where everything went wrong. I remember it as the trip where God gently reminded me that joy isn’t found in perfect circumstances.
Joy is found in His presence.
Life will always bring unexpected phone calls, delayed plans, disappointments, misunderstandings, and inconveniences. We can’t control those things. What we can choose is where we’ll fix our eyes. I’m grateful that, even when I lost sight of that for a moment, God faithfully drew me back.
His steadfast love wasn’t waiting at the end of a perfect vacation.
It was there in every curveball, every answered prayer, every unexpected blessing, and every quiet reminder that He was with us all along.
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” — Isaiah 26:3
