No, Its a SUITCASE!

My wife and I have been privileged to attend a Wesleyan Church event in Orlando, Florida called the "Gathering".

This opportunity came completely by surprise. I have also encountered other surprises on this trip!

I had been praying about a difficult situation, and the Lord surprised me by showing a new meaning behind a well-known slogan, "Safety is no accident". Now, I know all too well, that, contrary to popular opinion, you cannot always operate safely. However, the slogan itself is no accident either! If you act wisely, according to standards that have been put there because of the experience of countless others, the statement embodies a great truth.

It was around about that time that I encountered a young family in the hallway of the hotel where we were staying. A mother was pushing a baby buggy with a brand new baby. I congratulated her, and then saw that her husband and a little boy were following behind. The little boy was wheeling a huge suitcase for a little boy, and I said, "Wow, what a heavy load for a little boy!" Both parents smiled, but the little boy had a different response.

Correcting me very quickly and firmly, he said, "No, it is a SUITCASE!"

I had to sit up and take notice - how often life appears to be a disaster everywhere we look, and we think, "I cannot operate safely in this kind of an environment", until a child corrects us!

"No, it is a SUITCASE!"

Looking at me intently, the little boy continued . . . "The only trouble is, it keeps falling down!"

Oh my, another insight on top of the first one!

Then the Holy Spirit said, "Remember, Paul, every burden is a suitcase that tells us we are headed for a world beyond today!"

It was shortly after that that the hotel music system played, "Beyond the Sunset". How do massive hotel chains think of a Christian who needs a reminder of God's providence? Oh, I know that it may have been just the melody, not a Christian song.

But it is still something to think about. I am sure a lot of people will have explanations . . . but don't we often see His great providence in little things if we have the heart for it!