I occasionally throw a fit. It’s not often. And it’s usually with people who know and love me, people I feel safe with. It’s not long-lived. I’m usually patient,  I’m not easily offended, and I typically handle crises well. But there are those times when the little things pile up inside me until some insensitive, not-thought-through comment erupts from my inner most being. And it’s not pretty!

Like last night. This week was my wedding anniversary. Tim and I marked last night on our calendars many weeks ago. When we make a date with each other, we keep it. We’ve learned the hard way that it’s essential for us to set aside time for each other. Our twentieth wedding anniversary was definitely a date worth making!

We didn’t make big plans. We were going to try a new restaurant about an hour away. But we’ve been looking for a car for one of our daughters and Tim found one about an hour and a half in the opposite direction. We can be flexible (sometimes) so we changed our plans to look at the car first and then go to a restaurant another thirty minutes from home. Tim had heard of Richards Farm Restaurant from several people through the years, but we would typically not drive two hours for dinner.

I’ll spare you all the details, but suffice it to say, one small thing at a time began to go awry. Nothing big, mind you, but each added to several other small irritants and pressures that had been pulling on each of us. It was as if we were walking a gravel path and little by little our shoes were filling with small, annoying pebbles.

While we were speeding through the unknown country roads to try to get to the restaurant before they stopped seating at 8 p.m., trying to fix Tim’s phone that had suddenly locked him out of his voice mailbox while he was trying to make calls to our mechanic and return other calls, it happened. I said the explosive words…

“I just want to go home!” *whine*

As soon as I said it and I felt Tim touch the brakes, I knew I didn’t really mean what I said. Of course, I wanted to spend the evening with him. He would have turned around if I had really wanted to go home, but I admitted I was just frustrated and didn’t mean it, and we decided to empty our shoes of all the little pebbles and enjoy the evening.

Richards Farm Restaurant was exactly what we needed. We sat in a secluded room and enjoyed some of the most delicious food I’ve ever eaten. I like a good salad, and all the toppings on the salad bar were fresh. The bread was homemade, and I topped mine with delicious apple butter. The sweet potato was baked to perfection. The dessert was rich, gooey, sweetness. Our server was friendly. We walked through the garden paths by moonlight. Tim gave me a gorgeous princess ring. And we stopped on the long drive home for a cherry Coke Zero.

Aahhhh.

What a wonderful adventure…and yet, we almost turned around to go home.

I wonder how many times I turn around because of my attitude, apprehension or selfishness and miss out on a grand adventure God has planned for me. How often do I get in the way of his plan?

Seek the adventures God has planned for you. Every now and then, stop to empty out the annoying pebbles in your shoes. The journey is much more enjoyable!

“Please come to my house and spend the night. There you can wash your feet, and then tomorrow you may continue your journey.” – Genesis 19:2