Today’s Reading : Genesis 28-29; Mark 11
”Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and directed him, “You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women. Arise, go to Paddan-aram to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father, and take as your wife from there one of the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother. God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples. And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.”17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”
18 So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. 19 He called the name of that place Bethel,[d] but the name of the city was Luz at the first.
Genesis 28:1-3, 11, 15-18 ESV
”When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, “Because the Lord has looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me.”“
Genesis 29:31-32 ESV
Over the winter break, my family and I had the blessing and opportunity to travel. My youngest daughter, Nadya, had her wish fulfilled from the Make-A-Wish organization, her wish was to swim with dolphins. This wish has been in the process for over 13+ months. The wish and the organization are truly an amazing testament to their mission.
Each child and their family experiences an opportunity to have a wish granted. This is an opportunity to take you away from the highs and lows of medical procedures and medical visits that your family experiences.
The entire wish was spectacular. From the boarding of the first flight to the greetings at the airport to the hotel to the first waves on the beach to the dolphins and the luau. Nadya and our family was just filled with awe and joy. We spent five amazing days in Hawaii and each day we learn something new about ourselves. We were able to experience the joy of God in everything. While on our vacation, I read and meditated on the scriptures and passages for today. When I read these texts and verses, I allowed God to speak to me and allowed myself to be open to his amazing work.
On our return trip from Hawaii back to the mainland, we were able to experience God‘s blessings in a different way. We were able to experience God‘s mercy and grace as we were traveling. The day before we were to leave the island, there were some unexpected airplane issues for the Alaskan airlines had to ground over 170 planes due to a mid air experience where the exit door came off. This created a ripple affect that would change our trajectory for returning home.
When we checked in for our return flight home on January 8th, we were informed that our flight had been canceled and that the next available flight would be January 11th. This was a high concern due to us home and making sure that we had access to medication for Ollie and his seizures. I had to be a strong advocate for my family and my son. I stood at the counter from 9am until 2 pm. While at the counter I had a prayer continually playing in my mind to give me peace and allow me to see God’s work in this place.
To see how God uses our everyday situations for his glory this is a true account of my experience. After working diligently with Dawn, the ticketing agent, and Brandy, the gate agent supervisor another person literally showed up behind me. I was taken aback for the moment and then God revealed himself. The gentleman that came to me was named Reuben.
Reuben was a higher level supervisor. He had seen our family on his way into work at 9AM and recognized us as a Make-A-Wish family. The current time was 1PM. Rueben is a wish alumni and wanted to help us get home. Within 30-45 minutes later, Rueben had arranged a flight for the entire family to get home on the next day. He had provided a hotel for us to stay at during the time. Reuben and the wish coordinator also provide meal vouchers for the family and an additional car for travel for the day. In a situation that seemed dire and bleak, God showed up in an amazing and unexpected way.
One more way God was communicating with me was seen as we were going to the next hotel. Throughout Hawai’i, the Hawaiian language is spoken and evident in all aspects of life. One of the most common is in the names of the streets and the areas of the islands: Kalakaua, Kuhio, Ala Moana, and Nu’uanu. To make it even more memorable, as we left the airport and was traveling we had to make several detours due to the torrential rains and flash flooding that was happening on the island. As I was turning and navigating, I happened to come to a street that I had to turn on and off three times. The street name was Bethel. This was the same name that Jacob gave the place he had rested and blessed on his travels.
How amazing and wonderful it is to be able to see and share the goodness of good in our daily life. Can we all allow God to show us daily how amazing he can be? Can we allow God to recreate the blessings and protection and prosperity he has in store for us? May his peace be with us in the situations that we may be facing today and allow for the revelation of his awesomeness.
Be blessed