JOYFUL WORDS
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Speaking
  • Writing
  • Hospitality
  • About Sheri

Blessed In The Stress

10/9/2014

0 Comments

 
“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26

 Looking back on the trip Shannon and I had to Kansas last week it would be easy to call it an emotional disaster; but that isn’t true because God outdid himself in the blessings department.  The story actually started the week before we even took the trip and continued until we safely reached our front porch again.  Buckle your seat belt because this story is an emotional ride!

It all started when my amazing Aunt Mary was nearing the end of her remarkably courageous battle with cancer. It’s a horrible feeling that hangs like a storm cloud; just waiting, wanting to cling to her but knowing you can’t be selfish and deny her the prize of heaven. We knew we would only have a day or two to book flights and be on our way. I was a little worried about timing because Shannon was a homecoming queen candidate and I wanted her to enjoy that experience although she was ready to pass it all up in case of a conflict because saying goodbye was more important to her than any sparkly dress or parade.  The first blessing; the timing was perfect; we were headed out on Tuesday and back on Thursday but we didn’t know what awaited us in Chicago.  Our first flight to Kansas City was cancelled so that put us on standby for the next four flights to Kansas, each of which would be filled before we got a chance to get on.  God blessed us with a sense of peace as the afternoon came and went.  I can’t tell you how much I treasured all that time with my daughter that day.  It was such a blessing because there was no work or schedule to distract us…just us and a never ending list of things to talk about.  That was a mother’s great blessing.
  

As evening came I realized we weren’t going to make it home in time to get to the wake and we would miss our chance to see her one last time and say goodbye; that was the hardest part of the day! As the hours ticked away we had one last chance to get out of Chicago.  We were able to get seats on the 9 pm flight but as the clock approached 10:30 pm we wondered if we would even leave.  I feared we wouldn’t get home for the funeral the next morning and then all we would have had was a $1,300 trip to O’Hare airport.  Shortly before 10:30 airport personnel began setting up rows and rows of cots for stranded travelers and my heart sunk. Just as I was beginning to feel tears sting my eyes I looked down and saw a penny.  Every time I see a penny I read the words “In God We Trust”.  It was his blessing to me and a loving reminder that he had everything under control.  Within minutes they announced the boarding of that long awaited flight. We were blessed!  Once we finally got settled in the last row of the plane the flight attendant quietly asked Shannon and I to follow her to the front of the plane where she pointed to two first class seats.  Our motto all day was “If God can part the Red Sea, He can get us to Horton Kansas” and as it turned out he not only got us there, but he gave us great seats! Blessed again!

By the time we got to Kansas it was after midnight and I was worried about my friends who were picking us up and what a late school night it had become for them.  Blessings rained down again as we realized that all of NE Kansas was still up at midnight watching the KC Royals win their biggest game in two decades!  The next morning on our drive to Horton, I overestimated the drive time and we got into town early enough to stop at the Funeral home and say our goodbyes; blessed again.  Shannon and I were able to sing at the funeral and I was able to deliver the eulogy all without falling into my own puddle of tears.  My heart was truly breaking but somehow I managed to keep it together and do what Aunt Mary had asked me to do and that my friends was a gigantic blessing! It was a great blessing to visit with family I hadn’t seen in years and years and of course some time at my dad’s kitchen table was awesome!

Thursday morning we headed to the airport emotionally and physically soggy but excited to get home for all the homecoming excitement ahead.  Early afternoon, when we should have been back to the Grand Rapids airport where our car was, we discovered there was no way we were going to get there until Friday afternoon.  The thought of spending the night in that airport inspired me to practically sprint to the nearest ticket desk and beg.  The first two agents I visited couldn’t help us but all of the sudden I heard a boarding announcement for Kalamazoo.  I raced to that gate and begged, including shameless tears to get the two of us on that plane.  My tears weren’t working so I looked right into that crabby ticket agents eyes and said, “Sir, surely if God could part the Red Sea, you could get us on that flight because we have to get home tonight!”  God is good, and he stirred in this man’s heart who radioed the gate agent to wait for two late boarding passengers.  BLESSED!  Dave was going to have to head to an airport we’d never seen and we had to drive to the other airport an hour away to get our car but we were on our way back to Michigan.  It was dark and stormy as we left Chicago and as I plunked into my seat I started to feel a little overwhelmed by the emotion of the day.  Just as I felt like I was about to melt into a blubbering puddle, the plane soared above those storm clouds and into the most beautiful bright sky sprinkled with white fluffy clouds and God blessed me with a heavy blanket of peace, it was as if I could feel his arms around me saying, “See Sheri, that’s what happens when you trust me!” I realized that I have to trust with my whole heart, even with the situation is stressful and inconvenient, God can do mighty wonders!

  A Seed To Plant:  Sit for a quiet minute and ponder the most stressful thing going on in your life and invite the God who parted the Red Sea to swoop in and take charge then prepare to be blessed in your stress.
  Blessings on your day!

 
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Joyful Words magnet picture

    ​Click on the items below to expand the options available to you to explore the Joyful Words blog.

    Categories

    All
    1 Corinthians
    1 John
    1 Thessalonians
    2 Corinthians
    Acts Of Love
    Advent
    Ageing
    All In
    Amazing
    Anxiety
    Armor Of God
    Asking For Help
    Bad Habits
    Balance
    Baptism
    Be
    Beauty
    Being Gracious
    Blessed Mother Teresa Of Calcutta
    Blessing
    Blessings
    Brokenness
    Carry Our Cross
    Catholic Education
    Change
    Changes
    Cheerfulness
    Children
    Choices
    Christian Belief
    Christmas
    Colossians
    Commitment
    Comparisons
    Compassion
    Consistent
    Content
    Contentment
    Courage
    Crosses
    Crumbs
    Dad
    Daughters Of God
    Delight
    Desire
    Desire God
    Details
    Dicipleship
    Die To Self
    Discipleship
    Dissapointment
    Dying To Self
    Easter
    Ecclesiastes
    Education
    Election
    Encouragement
    Enemy
    Ephesians
    Evangelization
    Exodus
    Expectations
    Faith
    Faithfulness
    Falling Short
    Family
    Fathers Love
    Fear
    Flag
    Footstool
    Forgiveness
    Fresh Start
    Friendship
    Fr. Mike
    Fr. Mike Schmitz
    Galatians
    Generosity
    God In Everyday Things
    God In Scripture
    Gods Beloved
    God's Enough
    God's Forgiveness
    Gods Gifts
    God's Guidance
    God's Love
    Gods Love
    God's Plan
    Gods P Lan
    God's Restoration
    Gods Strength
    God's Timing
    Gods Timing
    Gods Ways
    God's Will
    Gods Will
    Goodness
    Good News
    Grace
    Grandma
    Grandpa
    Gratefulness
    Gratitude
    Greatness
    Gretness
    Grief
    Happiness
    Healing
    Heart
    Heaven
    Hebrews
    He Chose Me
    Holiness
    Holy Spirit
    Holy Thrusday
    Holy Thursday
    Holy Week
    Hope
    Humble
    Humility
    Identity In Christ
    Intimacy
    Isaiah
    James
    Jeremiah
    John
    Joshua
    Joy
    Judgement
    Justice
    Kids
    Kindne
    Kindness
    Labor
    Laughter
    Lent
    Lessons
    Light
    Listening
    Little
    Love
    Lovelies
    Luke
    Mark
    Marriage
    Mary
    Matthew
    Meekness
    Mercy
    Mom
    Mornings
    Mud
    Obedience
    Openness
    Parenting
    Parentng
    Patience
    Peace
    Pentacost
    People
    Perseverance
    Perspeceive
    Perspective
    Philippians
    Pioneers
    Pleasing God
    Poor
    Porch
    Positive
    Possibilities
    Pray
    Prayer
    Priorities
    Promises
    Proverbs
    Psalm
    Relationship
    Religion
    Respect
    Romans
    Sacrifice
    Sacrifices
    Sainthood
    Saints
    Samuel
    Scripture
    Seeking God
    Service
    Serving God
    Signs
    Silence
    Simple
    Sin
    Sinfulness
    Slow Down
    Small Stuff
    Steve Ray
    Stillness
    St. Mary's 4th Of July
    Strength
    Stress
    Suffering
    Surprises
    Surrender
    Temptation
    Thanks
    The Right Thing
    Time
    Troubled Times
    Trust
    Trust In God
    Truth
    Understanding
    Unravelled
    Valentines
    Waiting
    Weddings
    Word Of The Year
    Words
    Works Of Mercy
    Worry


    ​Archives

    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012


    Back to Home

    RSS Feed


      HOME                        BLOG                       SPEAKING                        WRITING                        HOSPITALITY                        MEET SHERI  

CONTACT: 989.640.6673
Picture
EMAIL

FACEBOOK

Twitter

Content is the intellectual property of Sheri Wohlfert 2017
Created by dhengesbach
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Speaking
  • Writing
  • Hospitality
  • About Sheri