I've always heard people say that "when you have children, you don't go on vacations; you go on trips." I tend to agree. It's funny to me that when we look back on vacations "pre-babies" what we thought was too low key (a quiet dinner at a deserted restaurant) now seems like a dream come true. Or what we thought was so important (a tan!) now seems like the last thing I even think about. Instead of tan lines and beach reads, I find myself thinking about swim diapers and seashells....but I wouldn't have it any other way. :)
Our vacation started off on a not-so-good note, but also with a reminder that the Lord is with us wherever we go! It was a great lesson and reminder for me. Funny enough, the night before we left the Bible story that Libbi and I read before bed was about God being with us wherever we go. We talked about how He would be with us and be watching over us while we were at the beach. I had no idea that just a day later, we would be seeing His protection first hand. :)
We left our house around 6:30 in the evening and drove the entire way without stopping.
Let me say that again..... We. drove. the. ENTIRE. way. WITHOUT. stopping!!!!
Let me say that again..... We. drove. the. ENTIRE. way. WITHOUT. stopping!!!!
Y'all!! Can you even believe that? I know we sure couldn't. We drove almost 5.5 hours with a 4-month-old and a 2-year-old without stopping a single time. Just take that in for a minute.
Are you as shocked as we were?!?!
Once we arrived, Jeffrey started unloading the car as I unloaded the girls. After the last trip inside, he attempted to turn the lights on in the car and.....nothing. The lights wouldn't come on, the doors wouldn't lock, and come to find out the car was dead as a doorknob. I have no idea why, but our battery died as soon as we turned the car off. Thankfully, we were at our destination with no where else to go and with everything we would need for the night, so we just decide to handle it in the morning.
The next day, Jeffrey and I started talking and we realized what a "God thing" it was that we did make it the entire way without stopping. Not only was it nothing short of miraculous that we could go that distance with two small babies, but we felt pretty sure that our car would have died at any point that we decided to stop. There were plenty of reasons that we could have stopped...be it for gas, to feed the baby, to change diapers, potty breaks, snacks, etc. but by the grace of God, we didn't. Most of the roads that we take are back roads with poor lighting and even poorer cell phone service. Add in the fact that it was late at night and we had two small children with us, we would have really been in a bind.
The more we talked, the more thankful we became. As inconvenient as it was to have our car die, have to find someone with jumper cables, (since I so conveniently removed them the day before...oops!) and then go buy a new battery, in the grand scheme of things it was much more convenient than what could have been. Isn't that the way we so often view life's little inconveniences?! I know I do. I can get so caught up in being put off by the extra time/trouble I have to go to that I miss out on seeing the ways the Lord is providing and protecting in the midst of a less than ideal situation. So, even though our trip started off on a rough note, it was a wonderful reminder to be mindful of His hand in every situation. And, that He is with us wherever we go.....even on vacation.
"....And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:20
