We had been on a wonderful vacation in Utah last week. We camped (in our 5th wheel trailer) hiked and relaxed. We were out of cell-phone range and there was no Internet. Wow!
As we were returning home we stopped at a rest area in Glenwood Springs by the Colorado River. It was a beautiful spot to eat, watching as the river rushed by. We watched several commercial rafting trips take off as we dreamed of getting a permit to go on our favorite river, the San Juan. What a wonderful picnic we had. When we finished eating, I took the food items and put them back in the refrigerator in the trailer.
As we were entering onto the Interstate, I realized that I had left my unfinished Pepsi can in the trailer on the kitchen shelf, directly over the upholstered chairs. We couldn’t pull over or stop. If you know anything about Glen Canyon, you know it is one of the prettiest canyons, but narrow with twists and turns and very few exit with re-entry ramps.
Sooo, I’m sitting in the passenger seat, I am tormented. I’m thinking about what a sticky mess I am going to have to clean up. (Any one who has had to clean up a soda spill knows how sticky it is and it gets everywhere.) I can see the Pepsi as it is spilling all over the tan upholstered chairs, the cabinets, and running down the sides all over the carpet.
I am allowing my anger to go from a 3-4 to a 10. I am mad at everyone and everything. I am mad because my husband won’t pull over and stop (he can’t there are no pull off lanes). I am angry with the road designers, that they did not make more exits – re-entry ramps (they couldn’t). I am angry with myself for leaving the Pepsi can on the shelf. I shouldn’t have. Well I finally start to pray.
What a battle Lord, help me to surrender my anger. Help me to realize that there is nothing that I can do right this minute. Help me to realize that it is not that big of a deal (messy but certainly not the size of a problem that I have allowed it o become). Lord, come into this mess and hold me, help me to get over myself. Help me to enjoy this gorgeous Canyon that you created. Lord I want to change.
I want to learn to let go of things that I have no control over I want to learn not to over react to daily problems—that’s life and s__t happens. I want to grow into the woman/wife you created me to become. Help me please.
As we continued to go on through the canyon, I would/could surrender, but the very next curve or the very second that I stopped praying I was escalating up the anger scale again.
15 minutes later we were able to pull over. OK the dreaded moment of unveiling. I slowly opened the door to the trailer and stepped into it. There was my Pepsi can sitting on the counter. It didn’t appear to have moved.
What a miracle in and of itself. Praise God.
