A Destination In Mind

It was October 2006.  Todd and I had been very careful with our funds, scrimping and scraping with hopes for a dream vacation.  Our FIRST real vacation as a family.  We checked airline prices over and over, package deals a hundred times, ran the numbers backward and forward, then it was time. 

We dialed 407-WDisney.

And we kept it a secret from the girls. Well, sort of.

We told them we were going somewhere on fall break, but we didn't tell them we were going to Disney World.  We knew if we divulged our big secret, they would bug us about it non-stop. Y'all know exactly what I mean, don't you?   Mmmhmm.

Instead of telling them we were planning a trip to Disney on fall break, we told them we were going to the Louisville Science Center and spend a few days in Louisville.

Big difference, right?  We thought so.  I mean, weigh the options.  In one hand you have the science center, in the other, you have Disney.  Seems like a no brainer to me, especially if you're an elementary aged little girl and preschooler who believe wholeheartedly in Tinkerbell, Ariel, and Cinderella. 

We kept our secret a secret until just a couple of days before leaving.

We called the girls to the living room and sat them on the couch so we could make our BIG announcement.

This was their response:

And for those of you who don't have video capabilities, here's a few snapshots of the discussion, so you can get the full affect.

No, these are not tears of joy!

Complete and utter meltdowns.  They were NOT excited about going to Disney World, they had been to the science center once for a few hours and were perfectly content with visiting it again.  We were messing up the idea they had formulated in their minds of the perfect vacation.  They were familiar with the science center, they had no idea how grand Disney was and had no idea that there was no comparison, no idea what they were settling for.

After much convincing and coddling, they got over the science center and we had a blast on our first family vacation at Disney!



       Yes,  I promise, these ARE the same children.

  


I  read a similar story recently in God's word.  The kids were the Israelites, the parent was God.  You can read this story for yourself in Numbers 32.  God had been telling the Israelites for years and years about this place He was taking them to and how wonderful it was.

But guess what?

Just before they got there, with the intended destination just across the Jordan River, some of them decided the land where they were was "just right" for their needs.  It was perfect for their livestock, they thought. 

I mean, what does God know anyway, right?

Who needs a land flowing with milk and honey?  Who needs a prosperous land?  Who needs fortified cities?

Naaa - livestock pens would be fine with them.

They were settling for the Science Center when God had Disney in mind. 

They could see where they were, but they couldn't see the Promised Land.  They settled for what they could see themselves instead of trusting God for something more.

I know this describes some of my past choices.  I settled for what was known and familiar instead of waiting and trusting for something greater.

Has your life ever resembled this story?

Do you want the science center or do you want Disney?

Disney is what He has planned for you.




Royal Princess Daughter Of The King