Have you ever been upset, frustrated, or disappointed when your trips don’t go the way you planned? Many times there are so many unseen things that contribute to changing our direction, our path, or causing delays.  While most of the time we never know what those changes prevented us from seeing, reaching, or being involved in; one such event in my lifetime proved to be a blessing in disguise.  

A family trip to Mexico Beach, FL was planned between my younger sister’s family and my family in 1998. Our mom and Granny joined us for the trip.  Since Granny had spent the last portion of her high school years living with her older sister in Chattahoochee, FL she asked us to take a trip through the small town on the drive down.  Since this was going to take us just a short distance away from the interstates and major highways, I planned out our route on some lesser traveled highways.  Looking over a paper map, I located a small creekside park about five miles off the highway between Chattahoochee and Blountstown. We traveled along in our two vans with six adults and seven kids.  Despite my detailed planning on where to turn off the highway, I never saw the road the creek was beside. Since this was in the days prior to GPS devices or cell phones, we had no way other than signs on the highway to know where we were.

I was frustrated by the time we reached Blountstown. Trips to the restroom and lunch were needed by both kids and adults. Driving through the small town, one of us noticed a small creek beside a church with a picnic table in the shade of a few trees.  We decided to pull into the church parking lot and see if we could eat at the table.  Fortunately, someone was in the office and gave us permission to use the picnic table and the restrooms!  The kids (four under age three!) enjoyed watching the many baby frogs jumping around the bank of the creek .  It may not have been the creekside park from my plans, but it was the one God directed us to.  After our lunch break, we packed up the coolers and the kids, all ready to finish our trip to the beach.  

But my sister’s van refused to start.  Not a sound came from the engine when the key was turned. My husband and my brother-in-law thought we had passed an auto parts store just before reaching the church, so they took the battery out and drove our van to the store to have it checked. We let the kids return to watching baby frogs. The battery was dead and a new one was purchased and placed in the van within thirty minutes. We returned to our route and reached Mexico Beach for several fun filled days with family.  But I was still a bit upset with myself for missing the turnoff for the planned stop.

However, my mom soon realized that had we stopped at my “planned” creekside spot, we would most likely have been stranded much longer with seven kids away from any town. We wouldn’t have known which town had an auto parts store, so wouldn’t have known which direction for the guys to take when seeking help. We would have been alone with no working car while they sought a store. With no cell phones in existence yet, the outcome could have been very different!  But God led us right where he knew we would be safest.  And where the kids would have the better time!   

It was a great reminder that no matter what I plan, God always knows best.  

“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.” Proverbs 16:9

“A person’s steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand their own way?” Proverbs 20:24

I recently recorded this story with a special puppet friend. You can view the story from SuzyQ & Company below.