My wife and I just returned from a five day trip to Napa, California. We attended the wedding of a family friend and were able to soak in some of the culture of this beautiful region. We stayed at a charming bed and breakfast in Napa which we would highly recommend if you are ever in the area- http://candlelightinn.com
I want to relay two extremely strange events that happened to us on this trip that were reminders of God's providence over all things. On the plane ride to California, I finished the book Heaven by Randy Alcorn.
It was a beautiful clear day. I was so engrossed in the book that I rarely took time to look out the window. I finished a sentence in Alcorn's book on page 251 that read, "We will find rock formations more spectacular than Yosemite's (in the New Earth/Heaven)." Not even thirty seconds after I read that sentence, the pilot of the plane tells the passengers over the intercom to look out your window for a "spectacular view of Yosemite national park." I found that event more than coincendental.
The beauty of Northern California is a reminder to me that God has a restored paradise in store for His people that will baffle our minds. Imagine a world that is released from the curse of sin! We were created for another world. As C.S. Lewis stated we are able to enjoy some nice inns on this pilgrimage from time to time, but we are travelers heading for a better home.
The second strange event surrounded the Candlelight Inn where we stayed. My wife- Amy- used a magnifying mirror to put on make-up. She decided to leave this mirror and make-up bag near the South facing window of our room. After breakfast, we left the inn to visit some wineries and enjoy the countryside. Normally, we would stay gone until late afternoon. But this particular day, we returned early to our room- around 2pm.
We walked in the door to our room and immediately smelled smoke. I glanced over to the window and discovered Amy's make-up bag on fire. The magnifying mirror had concentrated the light of the sun on this bag and the bag was in flames. There was a stack of books right next to the bag which would have provided nice kindling for the fire had we not entered the room when we did. Thank God we were able to put out this fire easily and avert disaster.
These two events are reminders to me that life is not an accident. If only we could see the hand of God more clearly in sustaining us and protecting us from disasters. If we open our eyes, our hearts will be more prone to worship God with gratefulness.
In Christ,
Ashley Hodge
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