Driving on the Wron - I Mean - the Other Side of the Road

I have been driving for several days in Australia. I have been driving so much, in fact, that I have been unable to get to the computer to update our stay. We are meeting so many people that I had better dispense with trying to recall everyone - more of the same, though. Wonderful, wonderful friends Alison has here, just as she does in the States!

Have you ever driven on the opposite side of the road than the one you are used to? I have been driving on the left side of the road of late. The steering wheel, of course, is on the right side of the car. I took a few days to get acclimated to the Aussie way of driving on the left side, then I asked my beautiful and lovely mother-in-law, Joan Cotton, if I could drive her car. She agreed, and off I went on a very short excursion. By the next day, I was driving all around Sydney and having a grand time.

The place that gives me the most trouble is in parking lots, where I find myself reverting back to a "right side" mentality. Actually, the most difficult aspect of the whole experience is hitting the correct lever for the blinker. I am forever turning the wiper on trying to get to the blinker, which is on the right side of the steering wheel. As for the driving, so far, so good. No doubt, I am much more careful and focused here than I would be at home. It was unnerving at first (and still is, a bit), but quite exciting all in all.

New experiences - both scary and exciting. It is like that with many of life's ups and downs, isn't it? I have been having my Quiet Time in Philippians 1. Early in the chapter, Paul calls the Christ-followers at Philippi, "partners in the gospel." In verse 12, he seeks to encourage them by saying that all that has happened to him has actually served to advance the gospel. You may know that "what had happened to Paul" was that he had been arrested and put in prison. I wonder if Paul thought this was a good thing for the gospel at first when he was arrested. I wonder if perhaps he thought Satan was having a good go and now the gospel would be hindered. I doubt it, really, knowing Paul's understanding of God's sovereignty. Sometimes, God’s ways are not always clear to us. Often, though, as in Paul's case, the not so wonderful turns in life make sense later on.

As a special prisoner, a member of the Imperial (Praetorian) Guard would be chained to Paul at all times. The guards were assigned to the apostle in four-hour shifts, which meant that 6 different guards would be chained to Paul in a 24 hour period. Do you think Paul witnessed to them? Verse 13 tells us that the entire guard knew that Paul was a prisoner for Christ! Surely, some of these men trusted Christ. No doubt, many of these elite soldiers went on to serve the Roman Empire in important posts around the world - and, the gospel advanced!

It is easy to see how Paul began to understand clearly what God was doing. Oh, that we will make the most out of opportunities, no matter how they look at first – even if they appear to be disastrous. Far better for us to trust God from the beginning so that we are doubly blessed when God's purposes begin to take shape in front of our eyes.

Tomorrow night (Saturday), we will have an Australian wedding reception with about 60 friends! We are looking forward to a great evening. I am quite excited, also, about meeting Alison's sister, Heather, and her husband, John, for lunch, and then meeting my new nieces and nephew (Melinda, Christine, and Matthew) at the party. We will spend a few days with them next week in Kiama - a spectacularly beautiful place (as just about all of the East Coast of Australia is - I can only speak for what I have seen).

Hopefully in the coming days I can catch up on our experiences at the Australian Reptile Park and the Central Coast and incredible views and food, etc., etc., etc. For now, sweet dreams for those of us Down Under, and a good Friday to those in the West.