Writer's Strike?

8 :00 AM Monday

I got stuck behind a utility van doing 30 miles an hour on King’s Road this morning … the driver was lollygagging along, blissfully unaware that I had another appointment with the eye doctor at 9 AM.

He wasn’t in any hurry to get where he was going- even though I was- and he clearly didn’t care how his pace interfered with my mine. The frustratingly slow drive during rush hour, and the inability to pass him or do anything to fix the situation got me to thinking: Can this small annoyance possibly be part of God’s plan for my life?

Why can’t the other guy simply speed up or get out of the way and let me get where I’m going?

I mean, does God want me to show up late for my appointment? Did the author of the universe write an Appointment Late Fee into today’s script? What sense does that make ... especially since it wasn't my fault?

Was the Author of the Universe on a writer's strike?

This sounds trite n' silly but I started wondering: if God allows small trials (like slow-poke drivers and long waiting lines) to show up in today’s pages, then what about when more “difficult” stuff happens? Like the time when …

-Thieves stole all the cameras and video gear I was planning on taking to Africa

-The drunk shows up at night banging on my truck, demanding to know if I’m a “private investigator” and “Who’re you watching?” … for the fifth time

-The guy in the restaurant booth points his finger at me and announces, “I’m gonna cut you open and leave your guts on your shoes”

Were those incidents part of God's plan? Was I being tested ... or being presented with difficulties that were actually opportunities for my faith to bring me closer to Him?

Then something else occurred to me: Why is it important to know? Is my trust dependent on knowing all the reasons, or in knowing Him?

Was I on the King's Road, moving toward my destination, or not?