Travel Planner

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)

Husband and I are planning a vacation with some friends. Well, I’m planning the vacation, the rest are coming along. I love to plan trips. We’re going to North Georgia at the end of September. There are thousands of cabins for rent in that area making it hard to choose the right one. We wanted a place right on a river with two bedrooms, a fireplace, fire pit, porch and a level drive and parking area for the motorcycles. I looked every night for a week at the many choices. I almost missed seeing one company. It popped up on my search list, but the next time I looked for it, I could not find it. Eventually, I traced my steps back and there was the perfect cabin for us. It’s called River Dance and has a porch that juts out over the river. We’ll be able to listen to the water flow, and the guys can even fish sitting in the porch rocking chairs if they like. After booking the cabin, the next step was to find things to do. I can tell you the schedule for the Blue Ridge Mountain Railroad, the types of apples that will be harvested while we are there, the hours of the U pick orchard, the best restaurants and six recommended scenic motorcycle drives. We’re all set. But, the more I think about that porch and the river, I’m inclined to want to do nothing but sit and rest. So, I’m planning in time to do just that. My life has been really crazy lately. I’m serving on two different committees, one for my work and one for church, that are charged with planning future direction and eventually hiring someone to implement those plans. In both cases, we have spent many months looking at past efforts, researching future needs, setting goals and establishing strategies and timelines to reach those goals. We’ve taken into account the resources and people that will be needed. It has been a lot of work. Like planning a road trip, you first must know where you are going before you can figure out how to get there. Now that we know where we want to go, we will have an easier time looking for the type of leader that can help get us there. That is the hardest part about planning a trip with my friends. Unless they tell me what things they want to do, or not do, I will prepare an agenda to my specifications. I will be the travel agent and the tour leader. Believe it or not, sometimes, I don’t want to be in charge. As Christians, on our journey through life, we have a leader who has given His agenda to us. His instructions are clear. We are to make disciples and teach others about God’s love for us and way of living. It’s not up to us to set the course. That decision has already been made. We just have to follow along.