Picture this.......

I was lying in bed and it was 1:00 a.m. My head was pounding, because the beach house I meticulously chose to rent 7 months ago for our family vacation is full of black mold. It's growing on the ceiling, and it's in the vents. And I'm allergic.

I can deal with the fact that the house doesn't look like the picture on the internet that obviously was taken decades ago. I can deal with the beat up walls and the fixtures torn off the wall, and the toilet that won't stop running and the showerhead that doesn't work. I might could even deal with the giant cockroach that Noah killed in his room, although I can't help thinking that he might have many family members that would love to run over my head while I try to sleep. I just can't coexist with the mold.

The real ache in my heart comes from the fact that our vacation feels "not-so-perfect". It's Noah's final week before he leaves for college, and his friends are along for the trip, and Meredyth and Cooper are here, and well, I planned a "perfect" trip. There's 4 bedrooms, and 3 bathrooms, and a beautiful deck, and a gorgeous view, and our friends are right next door in the adjoining duplex. Except....they aren't right next door because their rooms are even worse than ours and they have babies who can't be near mold either. We love these people, and we all cram in our duplex that first night to try and figure out what to do. We have fifteen people in 4 bedrooms sharing that space with the bugs.

As I lay there awake in my bed, I start to pray "God, this isn't what I had in mind. This is really important to me! I tried really hard to find the right place and make this all happen. I wanted everyone to have a fantastic time and make unforgettable memories. I am trying to be a good sport, and pretend like this is all ok, but it doesn't feel ok. I don't see how this is going to work out."

I stared into the dark room, trying to cover all of myself up so the cockroaches wouldn't touch me if they came up on the bed. It was kind of freaking me out. But as I prayed, I began to recall all the things He had been teaching me these past few months. I remembered my desire to not go up and down in my faith, and my hope that I could be full of joy even when things didn't look so great. My disappointment threatened to overwhelm me, but I could sense God telling me to trust Him. It wasn't just that I had to let my plan go, I had to find joy in the plan that God had for me instead. It seemed like a hard thing to do, but the alternative was definitely not desirable. (Alternative = pouting and letting it totally ruin my vacation.)

We all rose early that next morning, and we gathered with our friends to pray before Michael and Matt and Brandon approached the realty company with our dilemma. We asked for favor with the company, and a chance to glorify Christ, and a place to stay.

Guess what happened.....

The guys talked to the real estate agent, and explained the situation, and she gave all our deposit money back! She couldn't understand why they were so kind and forgiving about the situation, and they got to share the gospel with her. Staci looked online and found us a beautiful place to stay that had not been rented for the week, and within four hours we were settling in the new place. Incidentally, the new place was a three-story amazing beach house that we could never afford at its regular rental price. The owner discounted it for us since it wasn't already rented!

So, what did I learn? I learned that God cares about my disappointments. I learned that He wants me to have joy and trust Him even when things look bleak. I learned not to rely on my own plans to always work out, but to be willing to change directions when He has something else in mind. Too often, I have expectations of how my life should go and I don't want to deviate from that. I wonder how many times I have settled for my own plan, when God had a better one!

I am thankful for a great vacation, great friends and family, and God's faithfulness. Again, I am blessed.