Providence, Tree Pollen, and (no) Anglican 1000

I got a lesson in God’s providence this week.

Monday, I drove up to Plano for the Anglican 1000 conference and the Young Anglicans Project youth ministry pre-conference. Although I had been very busy and behind on my sleep, I felt fine as I arrived and immediately went over to the pre-conference already in progress.

But slowly but surely, my allergies began acting up. It was just an annoyance at first. But by the end of the day’s agenda at 9pm I was suffering. I took my strongest allergy meds (in addition to my routine allergy meds taken earlier) and went to bed immediately. I figured that a good sleep and the meds would reset me as they usually do.

But not so this time. I woke up about 3:30am and could not get back to sleep. And my allergies were not defeated. Realizing that staying and trying to do much of anything in the midst of the toxic air (I was told it was an outbreak of tree pollen.) would be futile, especially since a front would not come to clean things out until Thursday (today) at the earliest, I decided to flee and go back home after much prayer.

I started getting better as soon as I got home, but it is still a process. I slept half the time yesterday. And this is the first time I feel up to blogging for one thing. (And this may still be a bit of a ramble.) So I was right that I would not have been able to function back in Plano.

This was disappointing in a number of ways. I was looking forward to spending time with Anglican friends at Anglican 1000. And, among other things, I was looking forward to being a tournament director for a Friday night at the Dallas Chess Club. After I got back home, I found out Hikaru Nakamura, the best chess player in the U. S. will be there. Arggg!

So this is another one of those times when I remind myself of Romans 8:28 and of God’s providence. And that even though I don’t presume to know what God is doing in this.

I can make some guesses. During my brief time up there, I gave a dozen of my old book, God Knows What It’s Like to be a Teenager, to a gentleman to take to kids back at his church. Who knows how God may use that? While driving back, I visited a past church kid now in the Navy who is in a coma from an auto accident. (I was intending to visit while driving back this coming Sunday.) When I let his mom know of the timing, she thanked me and said she had woken up that morning sad because of him being alone. Perhaps God changed my schedule to answer her prayer? (And I was just well enough to manage a visit. So more providence there.)

And maybe God had rather I do something here at home rather than up in Plano. I don’t know. But God knows. And my business is to trust him and act accordingly.

I guess that’s one way I’ve grown up a bit. A few years ago, I would have been pretty upset about this. I was looking forward to an edifying, profitable and fun time up in Dallas. And I am missing out, no question (although my time at the pre-conference was edifying and profitable). And driving for half a day up there only to drive back the next day is a bit of a waste.

But God, as he often does, had different plans. And I’m fine with that. I am not very sensible at times. But I have enough sense to know his plans are better than mine.