I got into some kind of cleaning frenzy yesterday. It was long overdue. I pulled the furniture away from the walls and put my vacuum cleaner through a workout like it’s never seen.

And in the process, I found some very interesting things.

For a long time I had a bulletin board hanging in my bedroom. I’d pin photos, ticket stubs, cards, quotes and all sorts of other things to it. Things I wanted to remember. Things that meant something to me. I had taken it down a few years ago and somehow it got stuck behind some furniture, which is where I found it.

Later yesterday afternoon, it was dark and stormy outside. Perfect weather to sit on my living room floor and take the memorabilia off that forgotten and dusty bulletin board. A memory lane for sure.

Here is one of the things I found:

It’s a plane ticket stub from a flight from Nashville back to West Palm Beach. In October of 2005, I was visiting friends in Nashville and Hurricane Wilma interrupted my attempt to return home. I got as far as Atlanta when they told me the airport in West Palm had closed. Fortunately, they could get me back to Nashville, where my little weekend trip turned into 5 days. Twice the airlines told me the airport had opened back up, only to find it really hadn’t. After three days and a few tears, I was finally given the OK to return home.

I was frustrated and worried about the fact that my home still had no electricity after the storm. I didn’t plan on being away so long. Didn’t plan on Hurricane Wilma tearing across Florida.

Sometimes our plans get interrupted. “Interrupted Travel for Virkler/Sharon”. When I found that yesterday, I laughed out loud. What a statement about life! How many times have we made plans along this journey of ours, only to have them interrupted? Interrupted by disappointment or tragedy, or things just not turning out the way we thought they would. Sometimes we’re interrupted by good things – love, new friendships, delightful and unexpected surprises.

Look at the ticket again. See where I was sitting on the connecting flight from Atlanta to West Palm Beach? Seat 6D. First Class. When everyone else getting on the plane turned right to go to Coach, I was directed left into First Class. I hadn’t even realized the airline had done that for me. So what started out as an interruption that made me worried and frustrated, ended up with me having an experience I’d never had before, and probably never will again.

God uses interruptions in our lives. God interrupts our travels through life to give us the opportunity to trust Him even when our best laid plans go awry.

I threw out a lot of the things from the bulletin board. But I’m saving this ticket. I may have interruptions in life. But God might just be about to bless me in ways I couldn’t have imagined.

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:2-4

But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good… Genesis 5:20