Delight is Found in Relishing Unexpected Moments
I wish I had a picture for what I’m about to share. I wish social media magically supplied a random picture of what happened. My sweet Pastor husband and I found ourselves in the middle of a circumstance with no way to stop and snap a photo. I am about to share an event that is a real-life movie moment.
Church Family Camp
My sweet Pastor husband and I attend our church’s family camp every year. All the members that want to participate in this annual event rent a spot at a nearby campground. We spend a weekend together laughing, playing, fishing, hiking, riding ATVs, eating, swimming, hanging around a campfire, playing games…. You get the picture. Often my sweet Pastor husband and I leave early because someone has to go home and preach.
One particular year, we enjoyed dinner with all the campers, my husband gave a devotional and we proceeded to make our way home. We jumped into our truck, trailer in tow, stopped for gas and caffeine, and headed down the mountain.
Traveling Home
We travel through a small town called Emmett before we arrive home. Emmett is a quaint town with a delightful downtown that in the past offered some of the best antique stores ever. Once we get to Emmett, we mentally shift to “almost home.”
We drove into Emmett and stopped at the light of one of the major intersections in town. We both noticed two or three hot rods turn the corner heading down the road in front of us. I commented on the cars, and my husband informed me our neighbor, who owns a sweet hot rod, mentioned he would be in Emmett over the weekend for some sort of show. We watched the light turn green, and we drove forward following the cool cars.
While we were driving, we began to notice several things. First, we became aware there were a lot of cars. Second, we recognized the cars were driving very slowly. We allowed our eyes to wander and saw all the people lined up along the road. We observed all sorts of people, some sitting in chairs and some with tent-like coverings to protect them from the sun. In addition, children played on the sidewalks near their parents, while firefighters and police officers mingled and chatted with the crowd.
Emmett Cruise Night
Everyone appeared prepared for a big event with ice cream cones, drinks, and snacks. Emmett was obviously having some sort of party. As we contemplated all the cool hot rod cars going in our direction and the other direction, we put all the puzzle pieces together. I looked at my sweet Pastor husband and said, “We’re in a parade.”
My sweet Pastor husband and I were part of the hot rod, cool car, cruise night in Emmett, Idaho. The people who lined the street were ready to be entertained by spectacular cars that were painted bright colors, some even with sweet hydraulic systems. And then there was us. We drove a white Toyota truck hauling our 21-foot Jayco travel trailer.
The Parade Wave
My sweet Pastor husband proceeded to roll down his window and began to wave his heart out. After all, how often do you end up in a parade?! I admit I felt awkward, but then these two ladies waved at me, and I instinctively waved back with a perfect princess wave yelling “hey!” out the window. They about fell off their chairs, and the game was on.
We waved our way through Emmett, hollered at people as they hollered, “Hey! It’s a Jayco!” We giggled over the guy who succinctly stated, “You got stuck,” because stuck in the middle of Cruise Night was exactly where we were. We even saw our neighbor, in his fancy sweet car, honked at him, yelled out his name, and felt as if we belonged.
We laughed at each other, we laughed at the circumstance, we laughed at the people laughing at us and we had the time of our lives! We briefly considered turning around at the end of the street, just like all the hot rods were doing. However, we chose to head out of town and onto the highway that would take us the rest of the way home.
Relishing the Moment
Our adventure screamed prime sermon material. My husband immediately began planning how he would later use our story. Meanwhile, I have pictures in my head that won’t quit: pictures of the crowd, pictures of the hot rods, pictures of my husband laughing, and pictures of how I imagined we looked as we waved to everyone who caught our eye. We experienced a moment like you see in movies, a moment you talk about often and create a better story with every re-telling.
I need to live life more like the night I ended up in a parade. As I remember our adventure, I know I must choose to be okay with being a bit awkward and live it up! I need to be content with who I am even if it means I don’t look like everyone else around me. I need to enjoy the moments I fall into and see them as opportunities for delight.
My sweet Pastor husband and I will never own a hot rod. My car will never have hydraulics. But I’ve been in a Cruise Night parade ~ and it was awesome!
Your Journey:
Have you ever been in a parade?
Have you ever been in a parade unexpectedly?
Have you ever experienced a “movie moment?”
Read Psalm 34:1-14. What phrases jump out to you and why?
What do you learn about God?
What do you learn about others?
What do you learn about yourself?
What nuggets do you discover about living life to its fullest?
Take a moment and listen to the Holy Spirit. What is at least one thing God is challenging you to do?
Girls Laughing, Delighting Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash
