Looking to Him

Our First Trip To Haiti Together!!!

"A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps" - Prov 16:9

As has been the case in basically all areas of our life together so far, we have our ideas and make our plans, but the Lord is the one who always redirects those steps to his path.

Plan:
November 22 - sleep-in a little, run errands, pack, leave for Haiti
November 23 - arrive in Fort Lauderdale 6:30 am, get connecting flight to Port-au-Prince, arrive in Port-au-Prince 9:00 am

Reality:
November 22 - Jake: wake up at 2:30 am with the flu, get sick multiple times, sleep almost not at all, spend all day in bed with a fever teetering between 101 and 103. Pray. Jacqueline: also sleep very little, try to deal with the first time Jake gets this sick, try to pack, and try to not get sick. Pray. Leave for airport, arrive with enough time, get a call from airline during security check saying that because the flight out of LAX is delayed, we will miss our connecting flight to Haiti. Get on plane with hope of somehow making connecting flight.
November 23 - Arrive to Fort Lauderdale at 6:55 am. Get off plane 7:06 am. Go to gate 30 seconds away, find that plane left 6 minutes ago. Find out the next flight is tomorrow morning at 7am. Sit and regroup. Find hotel (complete with a few unwanted crawling friends.) Wait for shuttle. Sleep finally. Pray. Have amazing friends Brooke and Tim come pick us up for dinner and thanksgiving eve service at their church. (Which was such a blessing and encouragement). Sleep!

As I write this I realize the real problem. It has nothing to do with changed plans. The Lord knew before we even booked our tickets that we wouldn't be able to get on that flight. The problem was that after every single thing written there, the word "pray" does not immediately follow. My focus was all wrong the whole time. This is a moment of significant self-realization.
Yesterday morning as we were sitting there not knowing if we were even going to be able to go on this trip, my mom emailed me a devotional my dad had sent her that morning. I will include it here because it was so powerful, and also so insightful to the fact that I am so prone to wander from the Truth I know. I was so encouraged by this, but still so easily forgot to constantly look to Christ throughout the craziness of the day.
Praying you would somehow be encouraged as the Lord convicts and corrects my heart.

The Outward, Upward Look

Charles Spurgeon - "Faith's Checkbook"

"Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else"
(Isaiah 45:22).

This is a promise of promises. It lies at the foundation of our spiritual life. Salvation comes through a look at Him who is "a just God and a Saviour." How simple is the direction! "Look unto me." How reasonable is the requirement! Surely the creature should look to the Creator. We have looked elsewhere long enough; it is time that we look alone to Him who invites our expectation and promises to give us His salvation.
Only a look!
Will we not look at once? We are to bring nothing in ourselves but to look outward and upward to our LORD on His throne, whither He has gone up from the cross. A look requires no preparation, no violent effort: it needs neither wit nor wisdom, wealth nor strength. All that we need is in the LORD our God, and if we look to Him for everything, that everything shall be ours, and we shall be saved.
Come, far-off ones, look hither! Ye ends of the earth, turn your eyes this way! As from the furthest regions men may see the sun and enjoy his light, so you who lie in death's borders at the very gates of hell may by a look receive the light of God, the life of heaven, the salvation of the LORD Jesus Christ, who is God and therefore able to save.