Ready For a Trip?

I was reminded this week of going on 'Penny Rides'.  We'd get in the car and, at every intersection, flip a penny.  Heads.. go right. Tails.. go left.  Dropped penny.. go straight.  Sometimes it would be a very short trip.. left, left, left, left, home! :)  But sometimes we'd have a great adventure! 
 

I never worried about being lost.  My Dad always knew the general area we were in and got us home.  It was fun to drive a road we'd never been on before & see sites we'd never seen before.  Sometimes we'd find an ice cream stand or a park.  We loved seeing new neighborhoods or pretty views at the top of a hill.  We sometimes packed a picnic lunch & found a nice field or wooded area to stop.

When we'd get to a spot we'd been before, the usual comment was, "I recognize this place!"  It was always an inexpensive family day out.

What reminded me of this was a little adventure I went on yesterday.  I needed to run an errand in Alden, a town I rarely go to.  I've only been on a couple of the main roads.  I felt the Spirit urging me to take a road I'd never been on before.  I knew where I needed to go and I knew the direction I was headed in, but I had no idea where this road would take me or exactly how to get where I needed to go.  As I made the turn, I felt the same sense of peace with my heavenly Father as I had with my earthly one.. I trusted Him and felt no sense of being lost!  

I relaxed & took in the sites.  Enjoying the houses on the street, the dog playing in the snow, the sculptures the icicles had created, the winter scenes around me.  I reached the end of the street... no street sign to tell me where I was.  I turned right knowing that it was at least the direction I needed to go in.  Nothing looked familiar but I was still at peace, enjoying my little adventure. 

A little way down the road, I came to a church building.  "I recognize this place! I know where I am!"   A large grin came to me, for this was the moment I remembered our penny rides.

As I went on well traveled roads now, to my destination, I chatted with the Lord.  "That was fun!  Can we do it again soon, Daddy?"

I know His reply... I've heard it often.. "It was fun! Thank you for trusting Me, child.  I'm glad you enjoy our adventures."

How about you?  Do you enjoy seeing new places spiritually?  Do you sit and take in ALL there is to see & learn, trusting Daddy and never worrying that you're lost?   It's always fun to recognize 'places'  you've been before with God, but don't be so comfortable with familiarity that you miss out on some exciting new depth He wants to take you too!!

Sometimes our adventures don't come wrapped in fun car rides and ice cream shops!  Sometimes they are disguised as horse drawn, open wagons, bumping along in the pouring rain!!  For instance.. I started an adventure this week.. I fell on the ice, breaking a bone in my hand. It requires surgery next week and several weeks of OT.  The really fun part.. it's my right hand!!  Those that know me well, know I am NOT a lefty, not even a little!! :)  Guess I'm gonna see some new places in the coming weeks!

I invite you to take this journey with me.  I will share the new places I see, adventures we take, smells, sounds, and yes.. I believe we'll get to stop for picnics & ice cream too!  :)  Come, take a penny ride with the Holy Spirit and me, as our Abba Daddy takes the wheel!

And prayerfully, you'll see your own adventures in a new way!