I am realizing  that I am living my life in such a hurry that often I miss the blessing right in front of me.

What brought this awareness to my attention was an experience this past Saturday. Jane and Krista were taking a short weekend trip to Lancaster Pennsylvania. Krista was going to a friend’s wedding and Jane was going to spend time with her best friend from high school.  My job was to get them to and from the airport. I had driven to Jane’s dad’s house in Pittsburgh Friday night so that we could have a short drive on to the Pittsburgh airport for their early flight on Saturday. It was a brief night because we stayed up talking.  Though we were all sleepy, we got to the airport on time. I dropped Jane and  Krista off and started home. I was using my GPS to be alerted of any traffic snarls. The GPS started a little different route than usual which I initially didn’t think much of as I assumed it had picked up on some slowdowns.  The route it took me however, wound up being extremely rural and very different from any way I had come home or went to the airport before. I was on a two lane state highway, a county and some township roads. In the end it added only about 20 minutes to my trip.  I went through little towns in Ohio I had never seen before. It actually was quite interesting.

Though the route was scenic, it had few opportunities for a bathroom stop. Now mind you, I am a sleepy, filled with three cups of coffee, 58 year old male.  Two and a half hours without a comfort stop is not an easy task. So by the time I got about five miles from home I couldn’t take it anymore and I had to pull into a gas station to use the restroom. I was mulling over this trip and trying to figure out why in the world my GPS took me on such a bucolic route? 

When I came out of the gas station, got in my car and pulled back on the road I looked up and there was a broad, bold, bright rainbow. Very quickly the Spirit of The Creator spoke into my mind and said “I took you that way just because it was different and to let you enjoy the scenery in the towns and countryside that you’ve never seen before.” 

So here I was stressing most of the way.  Though I enjoyed the ride I could have enjoyed it much more. I kept  trying to figure out why my GPS did this, where I was going to stop to use the restroom, and where I was going to get a sandwich for breakfast.

All along the drive I’d been praying and repeating, “God this must be your will for me to go this way because it is so strange (especially when I veered off into some Township roads).”  

Lesson learned:

God had been listening to my prayers. He gave me a rainbow to remind me that not every twist and turn in our life is for some major reason or some jolting spiritual teaching.  Sometimes it is just simply to give us something different to enjoy. It is to help us rest, relax and be at peace for a while. 

Thank you God for your blessing and for teaching me to be quiet, rest and enjoy the scenery.