Journey

Well I've started off again, back to Korea.  I love going back to El Paso, but it gets harder and harder to make that long journey.  I am blessed by having the opportunity to have modern technology that allows me to go from one side of the world to the other.  But as I get older, I grow weary of spending so much time on an airplane and in the airport.  Ultimately it does serve a purpose, but I feel like it is such wasted time.
But. I feel like maybe this post should be called but.
Anyhow, my trip was pretty uneventful.  I actually slept on the plane here and there, a couple of hours at a time.  It was good.
As soon as I got off the plane and into the airport, I headed straight to customs and got on the airport's free wifi.  I immediately got some really good news I had been waiting for!  It was awesome and I was praising the Lord, but man how quickly our attitudes can sour.
I started to get into a complaining type of mood. Being super tired and dealing with long lines, long waits, things not going the way I expected, and Korean culture, I started to get into a bad mood.
But (there's that but again) the Lord gently reminded me that I didn't need to be in a bad mood.  I didn't need to complain.  I didn't need to focus on all the things that weren't going my way.  I certainly wanted to, but I didn't need to.  So I had some practice taking every thought captive and doing everything without grumbling.   It was so easy for me to forget that God is good, that He is faithful, and that He loves me.  I had just received some really awesome news, and my attitude quickly turned sour like that never happened.  I really do believe we can control our reactions to what happens to us.  Being mindful, prayerful, and thankful can really humble you.
Honestly, a lot of the things that were happening to me just couldn't be helped.  Getting upset about them helped no one, especially myself.

Lots of cleaning before the trip

Before

After

Beautiful El Paso sunrise to send me off.