Letting the lamp be enough

Everyone has those days when you wake up feeling satisfied with where you're at, positive at the prospect of another sunrise, excited at the promise that a new day brings. In short, you have no reason to think that anything will go wrong. But alas, sometimes things just take a turn for the worse. Today I woke up with a very cheerful spirit. I had a free morning to read and lounge, lunch plans at an Indian restaurant (a fave!), and a manicure with the sisters. I'd have time to work out, plenty of time to pack for my trip to Hong Kong tomorrow. Things were looking up.

And most of the day did go as planned. I had a blissfully vegetarian lunch, enjoyed my sisters' company, and went about my business happily.

Do you ever have those moments where you feel like you're just getting too happy and life is too easy and suddenly you wonder if you're teetering on the edge of at least some minor disaster in order that equilibrium may be reinstated? Well, I feel that way often enough. In a way, I guess I should be grateful that I have those times when life just feels so perfect. That's a nice feeling to have.

Anyways, as I was packing for Hong Kong, I realized another hurdle would soon have to be tackled due once again to my passport losing. I'm almost out of visa pages-and that means I may not be able to get the new China Visa that tomorrow's Hong Kong trip was for. With the hotel already paid for and all plans in place, however, my parents said we are going to HK tomorrow! So, I've quickly scrambled and researched and made an appointment for the first available (Friday...) appointment at the US Embassy in Hong Kong. The rules say you can't add passport pages to a passport that will expire in less than a year (which mine will...), but I don't really have too many options left at this point, so hopefully the embassy will cooperate.

Needless to say, I feel rather queasy about my passport and documentation once again, and simultaneously purely bitter about the fact that this lost/stolen passport situation will continue to haunt me until I am back in the U.S. in August.

This would be a pretty awful post if all I did was complain, so no worries, I do have something worthwhile to report! In these moments of frustration, I've found comfort in words shared with me by a dear friend, and I hope they bring some perspective to your day too.

God isn't going to let you see the distant scene...so you might as well quit looking for it. He promises a lamp unto our feet not a crystal ball into the future. We do not need to know what will happen tomorrow. We only need to know he leads us and "we will find grace to help us when we need it" (Hebrews 4:16) Max Lucado, Everyday Blessings

Right now, I really want to know how tomorrow and the next day are going to go. They could hold some interesting obstacles due to my compromised citizenship. The reality is, though, that I am just not in control. (Obviously, or I would've straightened this out weeks ago!) Now is the time for me to hand over the control that I pretend to have, pray, breathe and hope for the best! Whew...not easy, but I'm going to try :)