Delays or God's Diversions?

Have you ever been in a grocery store in a huge hurry to get out and you get in the slowest line ever, only to get out of that line and find yourself held up even longer? I can't be the only one that has happen to. Have you ever wondered why at the moment you need to get done as quick as possible you end up being delayed longer than normal? I have and I have found God showed me several times why.

Several years ago my family and I were traveling from Virginia back to Charlotte. About an hour down the road there were several vans following each other going around 80. We were all back to back of each other trying to get home when all the sudden I looked in the floor board and realized I didn't have my purse. Not sure if I had left it at my in-laws or at the gas station. I insisted Terry stop and let me call his mom. At this time there were no cell phones available for me to just call so we stopped at the next ramp.

I remember Terry saying something about us needing to go because he didn't want to drive over the mountain in the dark and it was obvious I was holding him up.

I called home and found I in fact I left it at the in-laws. We got back on the road again and about 2 miles down the road found traffic was backed up bumper to bumper. Again, I remember Terry saying, "if we had not had to stop..."

I saw lights up ahead and it appeared there was an accident. Once we got closer I started to get nervous because there were a lot of fire trucks, etc.

If you are guessing it was the vans that was in a wreck you are right. All three vans had plowed into another car. The vans were smashed together like sardines and it was obvious there was a lot of damage. The Lord showed me right that minute that our van would have be in the middle of that mess if we had not stopped. That was truly a God's Diversion that day.

Well today I write this from a hotel in Houston Texas. Yesterday we had a horrid day (as it felt yesterday). Today I am not so sure horrid is the right word.

To begin, 30 minutes before we were to leave to the airport we find that I had failed to realize my son Jordon's passport has expired in May. Franticly I called everyone only to get bad news that he could not fly. I called the airlines and a woman told me he can fly but he can't be back into the country without a new passport. So no problem I thought we can go to the Nicaraguan embassy since we have to go there anyway. Relief I thought.

Well after getting to the airport, dragging in 600 lbs of stuff we were told no, he can't go. Needless to say this was not one of my strong moments as I just could not believe this was happening to me. I could not just send Jordon home, plus I had two luggage bags full of stuff with his name on it that had to go.

A man from the airlines told me this happen to him once and he was able to fix it. We were flying through Houston which has a passport office and you can get one the same day. So we change the tickets for Terry and Jordon and decided they will stay in Houston and go today to get the passport and arrive in Managua a day later. Ok, not so bad right. Doable..

So we all get on the Charlotte to Houston flight and as I can tell we are getting close to landing the pilot comes on to say there is a terrible storm over the airport and no one is allowed in or out and we will have to circle until they allow it. Not long after that he comes back on to say we are running out of gas and will now have to go to Louisiana to get gas.

We proceed to the new airport to fill up with only an hour and half before our connecting flight to Managua. This airport is not ready for us and all the other planes that had to divert so before you know it we are late again. We finally take off and arrive in Houston about 6:15 (our managua flight was at 5:50). Needless to say they left us behind. The storms had moved by then and the flight left on time.

So here ALL of us are stuff in Houston, now all of us are leaving on the same flight together today.

Terry and Jordon are at the passport office trying to get Jordon a new passport which should happen and then we will fly out today at 5;50.

Why would all this happen I ask? Now many things are delayed. My soccer tournament will have to be moved forward, our meeting, tons of things had to be rescheduled.  Why?

I beat myself up about the passport for a while until God said, Angie, I caused you to not look at that passport, it was me that diverted your trip, TRUST ME..

So the next time you are upset in line because you are late already and now you are much later, ask God if he is keeping you from something or is it just poor planning on your part? :)

Please pray all of this goes as God plans for today and we ALL arrive safe in Managua.

I am praising him that He gave us this diversion because He could see what was up ahead and we could not.

I'll let you know more once I make it to Nicaragua.

Pray for us.

Angie, Terry, Jordon, Logan, Alisha and Erin