Not As I Planned It

I like to ride my bike because it is a good way to get exercise and, while doing so, I generate my own wind, which helps make the activity more bearable in the hot humid climate of Thailand.

Usually, though not always, I start off with an idea of where I will go. Sometimes it is a route I've been on before, on other occasions it may be a route I picked out on the map. Such was the case one day last week. But while I was out exploring, I noticed the map showing a bridge across the Phan River, and when I got to that road that this supposed bridge was on,  I found it was a wide, paved road. Change of plans. I wasn't really thinking about how I would also cross the Pao River, which I would need to do to get home.

Shortly after I crossed the bridge there was a "road narrows" sign, but with the narrowing also came an ending—of the pavement. I kept going, checking the map now and then to see that I was still on roads that might go through to somewhere I would like to go. After a brief stretch on pavement, I found another road that, according to the map, had a bridge across the Pao River. Off I went.

After going about 50 yards I was wondering why there would be a bridge on that road, it was just a farm road and not even a good one at that.

Oh, that's why.

Bridge Across the Pao River

I'm not sure what kind of load the bridge was rated for, but I felt comfortable crossing on my bicycle. Just after I crossed the bridge, I hit pavement.

Yesterday was similar. I worked my plan for the first 8 kilometers. Then I got to where the map showed two options to get to where I was planning on going. But the option I chose turned out to not really be a road and I ended up on another track going in a different direction, but hey, at least the map showed the possibility of getting across the rice paddies to the road back home. The first part was a bit rough and I debated turning back. But then I came to a village and turned onto a better track. This next route, even though it wasn't paved, was smoother than some of the paved roads in the area. And there was another bridge to cross, this time over an irrigation canal.

Bridge Across Irrigation Canal

After crossing the bridge, it was quite scenic. The ride may not have been as I planned it, but it was probably better.

Scenic Spot Along the Way

Though there was a short stretch of less developed trail.

Road Narrows

Our ministry life is similar to my bike rides. We have a meeting with our core team on Tuesday mornings. Except on weeks when something comes up (most of the time)—in which case we switch to another day. We finally got a rhythm established of when we will do things like making house or hospital visits, teaching English, youth activities, and church worship meetings.

Planning Meeting

English Class

Hospital Visits

Sunday School

Youth Activities - Before Songkran Holidays (no masks required)

But then came the Songkran holidays, a time of year when people travel to their home provinces to visit their families. This year, Songkran corresponded with a new outbreak of COVID-19 in Bangkok and surrounding areas, so many of these vacationers brought the virus along for the ride. Next thing you know, there is a call from the village head to suspend church meetings for two weeks. Then things got worse, COVID-19 wise, nationwide and now there are even more restrictions on travel and gatherings. So we find ourselves spending most of our time at home and avoiding crowds when we go out. Nationwide, it is mandatory to wear a mask outside the home—this includes traveling in a car when you're not by yourself, even if you're with a family member—and the fine for breaking this law can be up to 20,000 THB (about $650 US).

This is not how we planned it.

But, hopefully it will be like yesterday's bike ride, where the road was be a bit rough at first, but it gives way to something better than we planned. We just need to push through the rough part and not turn back.

The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.
Proverbs 16:9 (ESV)

Storms of Life

Recently I got word from friends that the air quality was so bad where they lived in Thailand that, even with an air purifier going, they were only able to get the pollution levels down to the lower side of hazardous—inside the house.

Smoky air in Northern Thailand

We are currently living in California. Some areas are notorious for air pollution. I remember when we moved here, we heard about this mountain range to the east they called the Sierras. I thought they were telling a joke.

Smog above the oilfields in Kern County

In both these cases, intentional human activities are the cause of the pollution. In Thailand it is people burning forests so that they can harvest a few mushrooms or burning their fields to control weeds. In California, the pollution tends to be from industrial sources or automobiles.

Recently, we had a big rainstorm come through where we are living in California. Storms can be scary things. There can be flash floods, which may result in death or injury. Winds can be violent and destructive. Sometimes, even lightning itself can be hazardous.

Storm over the Gulf of Thailand

One time I was hiking in the Sierras and a sudden storm cam up with hail and rain. Lightning was coming down all around us—which is especially scary when you are above tree line and you are one of the tallest things around.

Sometimes, after a storm though, we get to see a rainbow. In the rainbow we remember the promise of God never again to destroy the earth with a flood.

Rainbow in Fresno

The nice things about storms is that they have a cleansing effect on the atmosphere. I remember after one of our first rainstorms in the Central Valley, California, I looked out the window and thought, "when did they install those mountains?"

Sierra Nevada Mountains views from Fresno

In the Bible we read about several storms. One of the earliest involves a man named Jonah who hops on a boat to take him far away from where is supposed to go. A big storm comes up, and the sailors all fear for their lives. Jonah knows it's his fault the storm is happening. So he tells the crew to throw him overboard (Jonah 1:12), which they were reluctant to do, but eventually they did anyway. (Ever wonder why Jonah didn't just jump overboard? That's another lesson.) God arranges for Jonah a special, private, two-night cruise in a marine-world yacht.

In another story we read about Jesus and his disciples crossing the sea of Galilee and a storm comes up. The poor fisherman can barely keep up with bailing the water out of the boat, but Jesus is sleeping peacefully. The disciples wake Jesus up, thinking he doesn't care about their situation, but he does care, and he tells the storm to shut up--and it does. (Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25)

(I always wondered why Jesus did it that way. He could have just told the disciples to go to sleep, that God would care for them through the storm as well. Could you imagine the story the next day. "We got caught in this huge storm and we thought we were going to drown. Jesus was asleep so we woke Him up and asked him to help us. He just told us not to be afraid and have faith and trust God. Then He went back to sleep. All of a sudden a big wave comes up, it's so huge that when it crashes over the boat, the boat is full of water up to the gunwales. Jesus is still sleeping, but now He was under water. The boat should have capsized, but it didn't. But God miraculously carried us through the storm and we all made it safely to shore.")

There is a third storm that we read about in Acts 27. Paul is one of several prisoners traveling on a ship that gets caught up in a storm. Eventually, the waves toss the ship into some rocks and is is broken to pieces. Miraculously, everyone survives and no one is even hurt. And this was in the days before they had airbags to protect them.

Three different storms with three different kinds of results.

Last week I was reflecting on suffering—the storms of life. It was passion week, the week when Jesus himself had to undergo great suffering.

On a previous occasion the Devil had given Jesus opportunity to come out as Messiah-King (Matthew 4:9). And on another occasion the people were ready to make Jesus King (John 6:15). And yet again on Palm Sunday there was yet another opportunity for Jesus to seize the throne and proclaim Himself as Messiah-King.

And He could have done it. On Palm Sunday; Jesus could have called upon legions of angels and he could have seized the throne and declared Himself Messiah-King.

But then, where would our hope of forgiveness and salvation be?

Jesus knew that the way to glory was the way of the cross. There were no shortcuts. Jesus chose the way of the suffering. And just like a rainstorm can wash away pollution, when Jesus passed through the storm of suffering, He was able to open the way for the world to be cleansed from the pollution of sin.

Our lives can be filled with all kinds of storms. Breakups of relationships. Death of a loved one. Illness. Childlessness. Theft. Hunger. Disease. Loss of home. Loss of a job. We don't like storms. We'd rather have our lives free of them. Sometimes Jesus rescues us from the storm, as in the case with the disciples, and sometimes we have to pass through the storm.

But even if we have to pass through the storm, Jesus will be in the boat with us. We read in Isaiah 43:2:

 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
 when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.  

Even the famous Psalm 23 alludes to this in verse 4:

Even though I walk
  through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
  for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
  they comfort me.

Storms can have a cleansing effect on us. They can refine our character. We read in Romans 5:3-5: Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

And so sometimes for us there are no shortcuts. Our character is often refined by our suffering. As the road to glory for Jesus was through the cross, sometimes God is glorified by our suffering and perhaps even our death.

Currently, the whole world is caught up in a storm called COVID-19. We wonder what will happen to us in the midst of this storm. Is there a shortcut that doesn't involve suffering? Do we get rescued from it or do we have to pass through it? Will I end up being drawn closer to God or will I push God away? When it is all said and done, will I be better or bitter?

Already, our lives are messed up. We cannot do the things we came back to North America to do. And now we are unable to get back to our home in Thailand. We were supposed to arrive there today, but now we don't know when we will go back. This is hard on us. But our suffering is not nearly what  others have to deal with.

My prayer is that, however I have to pass through this storm, God will be glorified through my life.