I’m sitting in the downstairs lobby of a French hotel, quaintly tucked inside the center of the nation’s capital Paris. Encompassed by French music, French people, and French cuteness, it is literally a dream come true. 

But let’s back up and look at some obstacles that appeared before that dream manifested.

Just a few days ago, I was slammed into by a crazy person on the highway with my good friend while on our way to meet another good friend. The insane thing about it all was that I had already dodged the first almost-collision, and yet the deranged driver still went out of his way to ram into me. He was clearly on a mission to kill as we chased him down the highway (what kind of mission were we on, though? SMH) in a failed attempt to collect a valid license plate number. Even when a helpful driver tried to block him on the freeway from exiting, I was unable to catch up. Maybe it’s for the best. 

Afterward, my friend and I unsuccessfully tried to file a police report. I hate to say it, but inner-city police are the worst. They treat you like scum and forget that whole promise to protect and serve. I won’t even get into all that but will just say after several more attempts that the report is still not filed. 

But the show must go on. Even though I discerned a clear spiritual attack in that experience, I knew nothing was stopping this trip to Paris. My friend and I were unharmed in the collision, just in case you were wondering…

I’ve been wanting to visit Paris for at least 15 years now. I took a few French classes in high school, a semester in college, and an adult class in my late 20s. Around that same time, a friend gave me one of my most cherished gifts: a French Bible! It was a perfect way to learn new words via familiar passages. She adamantly declared, “You will go to Paris!” She was right.

It was about a couple of years ago that I mentioned to my travel bestie that I wanted to visit this beloved city for my 40th birthday. She did too, so we made it happen. 

I’m a great planner. My bestie is too. But you know what you can’t plan for when traveling? Delays. I have had horrible experiences waiting at the airport and know of others with worse ones. 

One time, I was in an airport for six hours after several delays, only to Uber to a nearby city, rent a hotel room, get up at 4am, drive back to the original city, and catch a 6am flight. I had already been up since 6am the previous day. Finally, I made it to my destination, which just so happened to be a wedding I was the maid of honor in. I had the Bride’s shoes. It was dire that I get there!

That was by far the worst. But you know what? Yesterday’s events came close. 

As I said before, I’m a great planner. My boyfriend makes fun of me all the time. Because, well, he’s not. Thankfully he’s on time when he really needs to be and swooped me up for the airport the standard two hours early, so I wouldn’t miss my flight.

I sailed through the check-in process like the travel-pro that I am, made small talk with the travel agent, who’s eyes sparkled once I mentioned my destination, and effortlessly shimmied through the TSA Precheck line. I have LEARNED. TSA Precheck is VITAL for any frequent traveler. But I did all that, only to be informed that my flight was delayed. 

And delayed again. 

And delayed again.

The issue wasn’t just the delays, though, the issue was I was heading to one city for a connecting flight to Paris. If I didn’t get my butt in the air in time, I would miss my connecting flight, and, yep, you guessed it. Miss Paris!

But I wasn’t initially thrown. I knew in my heart I am called to this city. This was not just a fun desire, this was something that had been embedded in me a very long time ago, for reasons I’m still discovering. 

This trip was about purpose.

It wasn’t until about the third delay, though, when my faith was waning, that I reached out for spiritual reinforcement and shot a text to my council of prayer warriors. I was calling on Jesus, the cloud of witness, and the ancestors! And you know what? They all answered.

And in such a way, you can’t make up the Father’s existence.

While standing in line, awaiting my turn to find out my options, and eavesdropping on the duo in front of me in the same plight, my group text chat was going off. My spiritual mother of 20 years responded that she was on her way from her trip, had just arrived in CLE, and would be praying for me. Within moments of reading her message, my eyes lifted and met hers. She had just appeared at the gate I was standing at! Instantly I felt both comforted and emotional. I poured out all of my fears that I would miss my flight, and she waited with me. 

There’s just something about waiting with others that makes the wait less painful.CLICK TO TWEET

I knew that this was a sign. I was going to make it. I shared this info with the duo previously in front of me while we were in the restroom. Turns out they had been praying too, so we united in our prayers and manifested that thing! My faith skyrocketed when a travel agent, a very sweet older man gave me insider info that the plane we were waiting on had boarded and was on its way to us. Very confidently I assured the other passengers that we were going to make this flight because we had come too far!

At that point (unbeknownst to us), we were nearing the end of our four-hour wait.

Finally, our plane showed up, and we were in the air. When we landed, my bestie, who was already on the Paris flight, was texting me updates. I learned from her and shared with the others that the plane was waiting for us! 

When we landed, my cohort of Paris travelers and I (there were sixteen of us) booked it through Washington Dulles Airport. We zipped through a maze of hallways, stairs, and shuttles. We ran a good mile while gripping backpacks, bags, and suitcases. We huffed and puffed our way to the finish line. I beamed on the plane and was congratulated by other travelers acquainted with this amazing travel race experience. And within minutes of me joining my bestie in our Paris excursion, the pilot announced that the aircraft was closing. 

Whew!

Won’t He do it!

The lesson of this story? What is for you is for you. No matter what is going on in your life, no matter what obstacles occur or what event or person tries to thwart your journey, No Weapon Formed Against You Shall Prosper. It is a PROMISE.

And the promises in Him are yes, and yes, and amen. 1 Cor 1:19 

In other news, did you know that I just dropped the pre-sale for my debut novel When Love Wins? You can check out more here! This time around there is an audiobook in addition to the eBook and paperback versions. Make sure you are subscribed to my email list to catch special offers, discounts, insider information, and more!

Are you on Instagram/Facebook? If so, please reach out. I have a series called “Word of the Day Wednesdays” where I share 5-10 minutes worth of nuggets that are on my heart, which I hope are encouraging to others on IGTV/FB Live! I have these also posted on my Youtube Channel.

And, lastly, if you have read “Stories for the (Urban) Soul, please put up an Amazon review here. I was SUPER encouraged and blessed when a new reader put up her review for my 2nd book which you can view here :).

As always, thank you for your support!