Do you like to plan things out or do you just go with the flow? As a farmer’s wife I have found over the years that I need to go with the flow because trust me if you plan something, some animal or other crisis is going to happen at the last minute and throw everything into chaos. So, I was asked how I managed to go with the flow.
Once I actually thought about it, it took a lot of planning. I always tried to think ahead and tried to only get caught out once.
On one occasion we had attended a function in Queensland to which we had taken some home-grown meat. It wasn’t used so we had to bring it home with us. At about the half-way mark the kids were getting hungry and my husband suggested that we find a BBQ and cook the meat. The only problem was that we had no utensils to work with. Guess what! After that there was a picnic set in the car at all times.
When the children were small, I was constantly laughed at for having the largest bag that went with me everywhere. That bag held every possible thing that might be needed, from band-aids, nappies, extra dummies, teats and change of clothes for each child.
Let, me assure you that I wasn’t always very good at this being prepared thing either. Another memory that only came up recently was on a visit to my grandmother, two hours from home, we discovered that I had left the youngest daughters bottle at home. How do you feed a hungry, thirsty baby without a bottle? Well, grandma supplied a two-litre soft-drink bottle and we attached a spare teat that I did manage to have in that bag and there you go, one happy baby. (I do have a photo somewhere to prove this but just can’t put my hands on it).
Once we moved to the farm my car boot became my ‘on the run’, office, chemist and emergency supply cabinet. There were boxes containing sticky tape, sewing kit, paper clips, scissors and anything else that I could think I might need sometime.
However, there were times when no matter how much you planned things were going to go wrong at the last minute and so the only thing that I could do at such times was to turn to God. I would sit there, often gripping the steering wheel, easing my foot of the accelerator because I was in danger of getting a speeding ticket and pray. “Lord, you are in control of time and space and this is part of your timetable so please stretch time, or slow down the bus or whatever needs to happen so that I can get to where I need to be on time.” Then I would take a deep breath and relax and keep going.
“And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:” Daniel 2:21.
“My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.” Psalm 31:15
No, I might not have a king and his army as my enemy but time sometimes can be. Sometimes my enemy is myself, the panic that I feel when I am running out of time. These are the times when I have to just go with the flow and remember that no matter what happens God makes the plans for my life and if I have to go on a detour to get to where He wants me to be then that is entirely His business. Who wants to fight God, NOT ME!
“A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.” Proverbs 16:9.