Friday, April 25, 2014

When "Our" Plans Fail...

     To put it out there and say that this has been a difficult and trying week for me would be a total, complete understatement.  To say that each and every day of this week has been pretty easy going...would be a lie.  To say there have been times this week when I felt like throwing my hands in the air (along with the towel) and giving up and come home...would be right on target.

     I had big plans for this week.  I started my week out on the first day with over 1000 miles...more than I have started out with since I have been with Averitt Express.  So, my plans were to keep on going, hard at it, and if I could average the rest of the week the miles that I normally get, I just might come out with a 1500.00 pay day.

Boy, was I wrong.

     My first stop was Laredo, TX, right on the Mexican border.  I delivered that load somewhere between 7 and 8 PM.  I knew that I still had 6 or so hours left to drive, so I had plenty of time to pick up a load and get to going.  At least, that was my plan...

     I was told that I would have to wait until the next day for something to come out of Mexico.  Didn't really like that, but OK...that would give me time to rest.  I didn't get to go under that load until about 6PM.  I was perturbed. But what I saw on the news calmed me down, and I thanked God that He knew better.  A bus, that was not far from us, on the same route we had taken, not long after we passed by there, crashed and burned, injuring 30 and killing 2.  We must have just missed it, and could have been right back in its path, had we left there when I "planned."

     While there, a ministry opportunity arose, and Danika and I were able to talk to and pray for a security guard whose son needed a miracle.  I prayed for her and gave her a cloth that I had anointed to place under his pillow.

     So, now we are en route to Dallas, TX to deliver some furniture.  We arrived about 1:30 in the morning, and didn't have to deliver until 11.   I didn't get the sleep I would have liked to, because someone was knocking on the door bright and early asking us to move to a different spot, so another driver to get docked.  This company was running an average of an hour behind, so when it was all said and done, we didn't get out of there until about 1:30 PM.  I was told to drive to the Dallas service center, about half hour away to take a random drug test.  My plan was to do this, get a load and hopefully go somewhere like Cincinnati.

Boy, was I wrong.

     After completing the random drug test, instead of finding me something to leave out on then, my dispatcher set my hours to start back the next morning at 0600.  THAT...just didn't sit well with me at all.  But, the only way to get out of there that night was to take what this company calls an LTL load, which is something that travels from one service center to another.  That picks up between 11PM and Midnight, and is at least an 8 hour trip. 

No Thank You.

     So, bright and early the next morning, I arose, anxiously awaiting what I had planned on being a long run.  It was already Thursday, and I didn't have but 1400 miles.  That means that I had only run a little over 400 miles in 3 days.  What kind of payday is that?  We didn't receive the load until about 2PM ish.  Not my plan at all.  AT ALL!!!

     We were both hungry.  Neither of us had eaten anything all day.  She took a nap, and I wasn't planning on stopping for my break for hours.  I was tired of Dallas, and I just really wanted to get out of Texas all together before I stopped.  When she awoke, we discussed what we wanted to eat.  I only take a 30 minute break most days.  I didn't really want to take any longer that day.  We passed by 3 or 4 places before we decided to travel a little further down the road and "sit down" to eat. 

     I was still steaming over my miles for the week.  Did I mention that with what I started out with, I should have between 3500-4000 by weeks end?  We stopped at a Travel Centers of America (or T/A) truck stop to eat.  They have a restaurant called "Country Pride" who has one of the best salad bars I have ever eaten.  And their prices on food is very reasonable.

     There was a man eating kind of caddy cornered to us that talked to us a little.  The Lord spoke to me and told me to share Jesus with him, but he left before we did.  I did share with our waitress, and a cashier from their Taco Bell inside the store.  Danika had to go to the restroom before heading out, and while she did that, I got some more ice in my cup and bought us some drinks for the road.

     While getting checked out, the Lord spoke to me about the truck stop cashier.  I asked her how her relationship with Jesus was.  She hung her head.  She began to tell me that it wasn't all that good, and that she couldn't go to church because she worked on Sundays.  Further more, she said she had never accepted Him as Savior, she thought that being a good person would suffice.  But, when I asked her if she wanted to pray the sinner's prayer right then and there, she did.  Her name was Nya, and all of Heaven was rejoicing.

     When I went to go find Danika so we could leave, I found her talking to man man from the restaurant.  HE DIDN'T LEAVE.  He told me some story about how his company was doing him wrong, You hear that at every stop.  I asked him how his relationship with Jesus was, and he told me it was good, but something in the way he said it told me otherwise.  He let me pray with him for healing for his dad, who had just recently suffered a mild stroke.  He then followed us out to the truck.

     It was then that he poured his heart out.  We stood there talking to him for an hour.  He told me that he didn't know why, but that old pac man video game just drew him to it.  I explained that it was a divine appointment.  His name was Edward.  Please be praying for this man.  He allowed us to pray with him about a few more things, but he is truly hurting inside, along with deeply mourning his late wife.

     All in all, we were there for an hour and 45 minutes.  Even though I had only planned for 30 min, I very quickly tuned into the fact that the Lord had us there for a reason, and I was ready to stay all night, if need be.

     My plans for the week haven't gone the way I wanted at all.  We have waited yet again on Friday, in Nashville, all day long for a load to go home.  After receiving one, while getting on the entrance ramp in front of the service center, I had an option of hitting a car, or the guard rail.  That is about as bad of a place as I have seen.  My back trailer tires hit the guard rail, and not only punctured the tire, but bent the rim in a W shape.  They will count this as an accident for me, and probably take away some of my safety points.  But everyone was safe.  Needless to say, we received yet another load, and one after that that promises not to be home until Saturday night between 10PM and 11 PM.

     I just lost it.  I do pretty good now about letting things roll off my back.  I NEVER complain to my dispatcher.  But, I had had enough.  My mood changed quickly, and my loving wife just kept telling me to stop, go in the sleeper and pray about it.  I didn't do that.  I did pray about it, though.

     I received another load and headed out, with plans to stop halfway to destination for the night and eat.  Keep in mind, my plans were to get a load home, and be home early Friday evening.  We all know now that's not going to happen.  Here's why:

     We stopped at another T/A for the night and to eat.  Another Divine Appointment.  I didn't get her name, but it was a young lady who is a waitress at the Country Pride.  Please keep her in your prayers.  She has, and is going through a great deal.  She assured me that her relationship with Jesus was OK, but she did tell me that through a very bad situation, she had lost her Bible.  "I keep wanting to buy one, but just haven't," she told me.  So I got Danika to pray with her, and much to her surprise, I came back in the store with a bag FULL of Bibles (special thanks...again to Pastor Dan Mattox!), to have her choosing.  She chose one for her, and one for her brother.


Friend, we all make plans, many of which in our life, fail.  The fact remains, if we are not seeking out the Lord, and hiding His Word in our hearts, we will often fail.  Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that He (Jesus) knows the PLANS He has for us.  We just have to seek Him out.

My plans failed this week.  He showed me many times that He had my week all under control.  I saw evidence of that multiple times.  But, at the end of the week, as we all do at times, I blew it.  I had to get on my face before the Lord and ask Him to forgive me.  I never again want to make plans, without first consulting the Father.

Has your "plans" ever failed?  If so, what did you do, or what could you have done differently?  My prayer is that you will seek the Lord each and every day for His plans for you.  From experience, I can promise you this:

You will forever be glad that you did.

Jesus is the BEST Friend you could ever have, and He LOVES you so much!