This last weekend I had the opportunity to attend the 3rd The Gospel Coalition for Women in Indianapolis. It was amazing and much of what I heard will flavor my writing for some time to come I’m sure. Logistically, my hubby and I had to make some arrangements for the boys to have care while I was away, since normally I am at home with them. My dad has a place in Florida on the beach, so we like to go there as much as possible as an inexpensive vacation. So after my time in Indy, I drove to Florida and waited for a few days so my hubby and boys could join me here. They were to fly down, yesterday actually, and we were going to spend just 4 quick days as a family before my hubby would have to fly back and go back to work.

I have to admit – I was nervous for my hubby, N, to have to fly alone with both boys. “A” is preschool age, but “C” is still just an infant. And, he’s foster. I wasn’t sure how hard it would be for them to get on the plane (we hope to adopt him, and we have all the paperwork we technically need to travel with him, but you never know), and then there’s the actual flying part. We chose for N and the boys to fly on a cheap, no bells-and-whistles airline because it was the only flights they could get that didn’t have a layover. Neither N or I wanted him to have to run through an airport or risk getting stuck for a connection. The flight was late in the day (another point of a bit of anxiety for this mama who wasn’t going to be there to help – C’s bedtime was to be seriously offended and he can get pretty loud and cranky when he’s tired).

They arrived at the airport in plenty of time. They breezed through security and all that other fun stuff of flying. N was even able to get a seat next to A without paying extra. *eyeroll* I got happy pictures on my phone of waiting to board, and then boarded and belted in. And then, a text just short of take-off, that the plane was having “mechanical problems.” Of course it was. So on the plane they sat for several hours while the mechanics came and tried to resolve the issue. Right around the time they would have been landing in Florida I got the call, “Flight cancelled. Will call your mom for a ride home.” After 5+ hours at the airport. Lovely.

Last night he got the notification that they’d be flying at 8AM so they should be back by 6, but sometime overnight takeoff time became 11AM. And my hubby just basically lost 1/4 of his vacation time. I’m pretty bummed about it BUT I do think there are lessons to be learned, and not only about vacation traveling.

How often do we make a decision to commit to a “cheaper” path, eventually wondering (or maybe not) how much it actually cost us in the long-run. For these vacation flights, we decided to compromise on airline reputation and flight day and time options for I think slightly lower-priced tickets and what we hoped would be less hassle. Obviously our gamble kinda flopped, although in all fairness, I think those kinds of things can happen on any airline. Our loss was additional headache and hassle and a substantial loss of vacation time, accentuated by the fact that he didn’t have much to start with.

Now I’m not suggesting that we default to the more expensive option every time and expect a hassle-free life. If I was looking at a pair of shoes in Store A and found the exact same pair of shoes in Store B at 20% off, of course I’m going to save the 20%. But if I found a pair of shoes that I liked in Store A and then found something that seemed very similar in Store B that was half the price of Store A, I’d have some considerations to make. What do I hope to get out of them? Does the quality seem to be the same, or, does the quality of Store A’s shoes seem to be twice as good? Do I plan to use them all the time or do they need to match a bridesmaid dress? How do both feel when I do a lap around the shoe section wearing them? Maybe the cheaper choice fits my feet better.

All that to say and remind us, don’t we sometimes treat real, heavy issues flippantly, without considering important questions, and then wonder why it didn’t work as we had hoped? God’s Word says, “In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.”  Yet all too often we rely on another person, our education, a politician, or our feelings. God’s Word says, “Fear not” and we rely on our anxiety, depression, anger, etc. as a means of self-preservation. God’s Word tells us that our marriage is to be a picture of Christ and His church, and we rely on an affair (physical or EMOTIONAL) to satisfy our desire for companionship. God’s Word says that when we commit to follow Christ, our identity is in Him, but we resort to finding our identity in our intelligence, physical appearance, worldly accolades, the person or people we spend the most time with, where we live, what family we were born into, what we drive, how much we like to work out and how, what we’re good at…..the list goes on and oooonnnnnn. How cheap! Rather basking in the riches of an identity found fully in the One who created us, knows us, died for us, we sell out for the best we can find that this world has to offer. To be fair, the noise the world creates can be very distracting. But remember, God didn’t give us His Word – His promises and directives – for Him. He gave us what we need so that we may have life, and have it abundantly. It is His desire that we live full, joyful, content lives. He knows what we need to do that.

A few encouragements for us in light of these things… First, know God and know His Word. It is for you. Second, be willing to submit to and be changed by what you find in it. So much easier said than done. And also so worth it. Lastly, be open to relationships and honesty from those who love God and His Word and who love you. Unless you’re living in a bubble or alone on a remote dessert island (which I’m guessing you’re not if you have internet access), God doesn’t intend for you to do this Christian life alone. If we are in a place where God allows fellowship with other believers, He has given us a need for that interaction and relationship to become who He intends for us to be. Don’t waste the gift of accountability and relationship.