Getting Lost
We just returned from our 25th anniversary trip to Puerto Rico and one of my favorite days was a result of being lost! On our first full day in Puerto Rico, we were trying to find a bakery located at one of the many ports on the coast of Puerto Rico, but somehow ended up past our intended destination in a community called Naguabo. At Naguabo, we discovered not only a beautiful area to look at, but we also found a wonderful restaurant overlooking the water and decided to stop in for lunch.
While seated on the balcony of the restaurant, an older gentlemen, standing below, signaled for our attention and asked us if we’d be interested in snorkeling in the bay at Naguabo. Talk about direct marketing! I had tried to set up a snorkeling trip for us before leaving for Puerto Rico, but it had not worked out yet. This seemed to be a perfect opportunity, so after looking at his marketing material stashed in his car, we scheduled our snorkeling trip with Captain Paco Lopez for three days later, on Thursday.
Captain Paco turned out to be quite a character, entertaining us with his outgoing personality and at times, serenading us with a musical instrument made out of a sea shell. Every time Captain Paco passed another boat or someone on the shore near us, he made himself known by blowing into the mouth of the seashell, which sounded a lot like a foghorn.
Captain Paco was not only informative about the area, but also had an amazingly positive outlook on life, despite a bout with melanoma cancer that he told us about while we were our snorkeling tour. In Captain Paco’s eyes, life could not be better than right there on the water in Naguabo.
As I reflected on the day, I thought, “We would have never had this delightful excursion if we had not gotten lost.” I also thought, “But God knew where he was taking us.” There is a verse in Proverbs that says, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.” We had a plan that first day in Puerto Rico, but the Lord directed our steps to a much more enjoyable destination! If only we could get lost in the Lord more often…. I wonder where he would take us?