Hi, all! 

Just a thought.

I’ve recently mentioned our travels around portions of the beautiful state of Oklahoma. Any time we travel, we try to make a point of doing something, seeing something, or perhaps eating something that we’ve not experienced before. Well, this particular part of our adventure was not at all planned, but it definitely provided us an experience we had never witnessed.

The winds were particularly powerful. More than one kind soul, while asking us about our travels through their area, warned us to be wary of the fierce winds and the strong possibility of prairie fires. We already knew the power of the wind, as I had struggled to hold the car in the road at times because of it. But neither of us had any idea what a prairie fire looked like, that is, until we were stopped by one.

We had ventured several miles out of town for some tourist-type stops, acknowledging the smoke and flames we actually did see quite a ways off of the highway. But some time later, as we attempted to reverse that same route, we were stopped on the highway along with several other vehicles. We watched the billowing smoke and the flames of the fires scooting through the dry prairie grasses. We had first assumed traffic was only being cautious because of the thickness of the smoke. But, then, we witnessed those flames jumping the highway to the prairie on the opposite side.

It became obvious to us then that this was not some simple little fire we had seen before, but something major with which those folks were unfortunately very familiar. Using GPS, which was sometimes helpful, we turned around and eventually found another route that took us about an hour out of the way. We never got back to where we started, but instead were forced into new territory, more beautiful scenery, and another quaint town where we decided to stay for a couple of days, experiencing more fine food and a great church worship service.

Life’s uncertainties come at us quite often. Maybe we think we’re prepared for the smoke and fire, when indeed the flames and winds are something we’ve never experienced. Have you ever thought that perhaps those seemingly disturbing and hindering moments are actually merely opportunities to see and witness more goodness of God elsewhere?

As you sit and, yes, complain about, the things that disrupt your week ahead, stop to remember that just perhaps God is creating a different route for your travels — one that will take you to other great places, help you experience other great things, and maybe bring you to a place of worship where you’ve never been before. Prairie fires are something we hope we never see again, but grateful we are for the experience.

Just a thought. 

’Til later.

Brad Campbell can be reached at mastah.pastah@yahoo.com.