But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to visit you, I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to see you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while.
Romans 15:23-24 (NIV)

Wendy and I have had one heck of a week. In another “Chain Reaction of Praise” moment, our basement flooded for the second time in a matter of a few weeks. It was even worse this time. We have had to juggle our schedule to move furniture, haul rugs out into the sun to dry, pull up carpeting, and cut out the carpet pad that is trapping water and will otherwise become a major mold problem. Oh, and we had guests staying with us from out of state. They happened to be staying in the downstairs guest room. Fortunately, we have another guest room upstairs.

Life happens. Oh, the joy.

In today’s chapter, Paul is wrapping up his letter to the believers in Rome. He tells them of his intention of going to Spain to share Jesus’ message there and tells them that he will stop in Rome for a while on his way. He plans to do this right after he takes a gracious and generous financial gift from the believers in Greece back to the poor Jewish believers in Jerusalem.

What I found fascinating in reading about Paul’s intentions is that I know he will never make it to Spain. He will return to Rome but as a prisoner of the Empire. The whole story is in Acts 20-28. Paul is warned multiple times not to return to Jerusalem where he remained a wanted man by the same Jewish religious leaders who had Jesus crucified. Paul bull-headedly proceeds with the trip. Once in Jerusalem, he is recognized, sparks a riot, and is arrested. When he is tried by the local Roman Governor, Paul leverages his Roman citizenship to appeal his case to Caesar in Rome (which was the right of any Roman citizen). So, he will not realize his intention to go to Spain. He will spend a lot of time in Rome and eventually be executed there.

Life happens.

Earlier this week I wrote about how we can respond, not react when encountering a heated topic in current events. Ironically, the post stirred some strong reactions. Along life’s road, I’ve also learned that I also have the same opportunity to respond, not react, when “life happens.” I can have all sorts of well-laid plans and intentions that, in a moment, are dashed by the unexpected. I can allow it to overwhelm me, or I can respond in faith and hope that we’ll get through it and probably learn some things along the way. I like what Paul wrote in today’s chapter:

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

In the quiet this morning, I spent a few moments thinking back to other times when “Life Happened” along the journey. This is certainly not the first time I’ve dealt with water problems in the basement. It happened in the house I grew up in, and it happened in our previous home here in Pella. We’ve had homes broken into and robbed. I’ve had my hotel room robbed. There have been tragic deaths of family members, trees falling, and my parents once had a car drive through the wall of their house!

You know what? I’ve learned that in the midst of all of it, I can experience both peace and joy. I can respond with trust in God who gives me hope that I’ve learned I can faithfully count on. We’ll do the work. We’ll fix the problem. Eventually, we’ll look back on this week in the same way I’m looking back at all the other times that Life happened.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.