A Trip Like That
by LewisMany years ago the poet Burns wrote a poem to a mouse. He did so because he (Burns, not the mouse) was plowing a field when he accidentally ruined the nest of the field mouse, who (the mouse, not Burns) then ran away in terror. That poem gives us one of the most memorable and most quoted lines of all time:
The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men Gang aft agley…
A good English translation of those would have it:
The best laid schemes of mice and men, Go oft astray…
Whether in Scottish or English, I, being on the man and not the mouse side of the equation, experienced this very thing on Friday, December 22, and I have a question about it.
What was supposed to be a “hop on the plane and fly to Phoenix then get a ride to Mesa” morning turned into a “don’t get on the plane, have breakfast, get on a different plane going to Burbank, wander around, buy books at a used book store, take a taxi to Hollywood, watch a movie in a famous theater, look at the footprints at Grauman’s, talk to Freddie Kruger, get picked up by my brother-in-law and niece, pick up my niece’s recovering-from-major-surgery friend and her sister, drive to Phoenix (10 hours, because of traffic), go to the airport, rescue our luggage, borrow a car and drive to Mesa.
The original method would have taken us about 18 hours less than the method we used, but that scheme (plan) went, as Burns would say, agley.
Now here is the question: What did God have to do with that? And what about when your plans “gang agley?” What does God have to do with that?
P.S. Merry Christmas to all!!
December 27th, 2007 at 5:53 pm
God is probably just messing with you.
Think God doesn’t have a sense of humor?
December 31st, 2007 at 5:11 pm
> What did God have to do with that?
I think God is yelling loudly and clearly: I created the world and the associated laws of physics and people with brains, and I expect people to use their brains to discover the world. I don’t know anyone who flew this Christmas and had their plane leave and arrive on schedule. Most experienced substantial delays and many cancellations. I don’t think God had to do anything special (other than creating the universe and a set of rules with amazing interactions) to cause your plan to fly standby on the Friday before Christmas to go awry.
December 31st, 2007 at 5:55 pm
Spoken (written, actually) like a true pragmatist! And much appreciated.
Actually we believe we would have been able to get on the original flight except that the equipment had been downsized. (Frequent flyers know that means the flight ended up with a smaller plane than was planned for.) More than 20 people who had actually purchased tickets on that flight did not get on it either, so being on standby status wasn’t the issue.
The two extremes on God’s interaction are deism — God created the world, set it in motion, and has kept his eye on it but pretty much not contravened the laws of nature since then — and Theism, in which God is quite interactive with his creation, including humans.
Deism was quite popular in the 18th century (Thomas Jefferson was, by many accounts, a deist) but basically died out over time. (For a look at modern deism, check out http://moderndeism.com/.)
So back to my question about our plans going awry. Sometimes we see that as a good thing, and sometimes we see it as a bad thing. Should we ever see it as a God thing?
January 3rd, 2008 at 6:51 pm
When my plans go as ridiculously awry as yours did (hey, we’re not talking a little change in timing here — this is radical), I start looking for the thread that goes through it all.
The thread I see here is relationship. Trips make and break relationships. Being cooped up in a small car space with luggage and relatives and people you don’t even know is going to make you very well acquainted by journey’s end.
Who knows, going into it, where any relationship might lead? Social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn are exploding with people who need or want some sort of community, people who want to engage in old and new relationships.
Right now, it would be hard for anyone to answer this question of what God was/is doing in your immediate situation. Look back at this question in 6 months, a year, 5 years — did the car provide a seminal moment or opportunity for someone? Sometimes we never know the answer to such questions.
In a situation like this, though, regardless whether my limited perspective labels it “good” or “bad,” I like to remember what is said in Romans 8:28 — “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”