17 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: 18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. Habakkuk 3: 17, 18 (KJV)
While traveling to Missouri to visit my middle son, Brandon, we had a beautiful day to travel. The sky was the clearest blue. The air was most calm. The road was quite smooth. But about three hours into the 10-hour trip, the sky changed, and the wind was so strong that it was blowing the car around making it difficult to stay in my lane. Now, I am the kind of driver who doesn’t like to make many stops along my journey. I focus on the destination and want to get there as soon as possible. But this change in the wind, along with the sounds of sirens, required me to make a choice. Should I stop and seek shelter, or should I keep driving?
I was able to tune in to a local radio station and realized that the storm was actually now behind me and moving eastwardly. I was driving westward and just experiencing the aftermath. The winds were still howling and the sky was still dark, but within about 20 minutes all was clear again.
We have no control over what might happen. The fruit may no longer be on the vine. The olive might fail, but we choose our direction and our attitude while on the journey. I encourage you to get the facts as best you can … and joyfully keep moving toward your destination.