Hi! Shannon here, an Indiana Hoosier residing in Dallas, TX and a new blogger for Going Beyond Ministries. This month marks three years that I’ve been working for the ministry. And time has flown by.
Here are some fun facts about me:
- Blue and orange are my favorite colors.
- Anytime music is playing, I WILL dance.
- Friendship is one of my most beloved virtues.
And . . .
I love to travel and set my eyes on new sights. My make-believe tank of curiosity and adventure fills to the brim each time I cross the border into a foreign land. It’s the only time I ever truly feel free. Free of responsibility. Free of constraint. Free to be me.
My long desire to visit Greece was quenched this May. My father and I decided to take a 10-day excursion to breathtaking Athens, Mykonos, and Santorini. I hadn’t done much research on Athens, but I was well informed about the glamorous islands of Mykonos and Santorini. I mean, c’mon, who hasn’t seen Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants? First, we arrived in Athens and quickly became acquainted with the city’s AMAZING Acropolis. We then toured the land and inquired about how else we should spend our few days. Quite a few tourists recommended that we visit Delphi – one of the most popular archaeological sites in Greece. This gem (as shown below) drew me in, and I was eager to visit. Unfortunately, it would take a full day to travel to and fro, and my father and I hadn’t the time. We were to leave the following day and did not want to risk missing our ferry to Mykonos. So we postponed our potential adventure for the end of the week when we returned. And I so looked forward to it.
But, due to some scheduling conflicts, I never had the opportunity to go. I was disappointed. Discouraged. Then I remembered something. In all my travels, I have unintentionally developed a tradition to leave one place behind to visit during a future trip – one reason to return again. And this was it. My Delphi. I was hopeful that one day we would meet. With this, my thoughts of discouragement turned into ones of gratitude, and I viewed the trip as the treasure that it was . . . returning home aware that the Lord filled my cup to overflowing. His blessings were abundant and I had faith that He would bring me back to this place I had left behind.
Many of us experience scenarios like this in our daily lives. We dream up our own plans and ask the Lord to grant them . . . and I’d say often times He does. But, our plans are not always in alignment with His. When we make our requests known (Matthew 7:7), we hope that the door will be opened to us and all our needs and desires will be met. Right away. Just as I prearranged to visit Delphi, we organize our schedules only to find that God does not always see them through in our timing. And He doesn’t often grant them all at once. If He did, what would there be to look forward to? Our God wants to keep us trusting (Proverbs 3:5-6) that in due time, He will fill our cup once more.
Shannon
