The Big Airbnb Trip
I think one of the trickiest aspects of Christianity - something probably all of us Christians struggle with at one point or another - is trying to discern God's will for our lives. When we have to make a major decision, should we go with Choice A or Choice B?
I want to share a story that relates to that subject.
Living in New York City can be tiresome. Lots of traffic. Lots of people. Lots of concrete. In order to escape it all, often times my family will stay at Airbnb’s outside the city. We'll go upstate, or sometimes to Pennsylvania. It's nice to just get out and relax in nature.
About a week ago, I was perusing the Airbnb app. Typically, whenever my family had stayed at Airbnb’s in the past, it was for two or three nights. But this summer I wanted to do something special as a family. I wanted to rent a place for an entire month. Some Airbnb hosts offer a special discount if you rent for a month, and I thought it would be a great way for the kids to spend the summer. I could commute to the city to work when needed, and the kids could have fun by the water.
After perusing the Airbnb app for a few days, I stumbled upon an amazing deal. A beautiful, modern cabin in Pennysylvania. Access to a lake. The host was offering a 70% discount, if rented for an entire month. What normally would have cost $10,000 would cost $3,000. I had never seen a deal like that before. Excited, I made the reservation.
A few days passed. Then something unexpected happened. I was doing my morning prayers, and the trip I had reserved came to mind. I felt uneasiness in my heart and mind. An inexplicable sense of worry. I tried to push it off. I went on with the rest of my day.
But later that night, when I went to pray again, I experienced the same thing. Worry. Apprehension. Uneasiness regarding the trip. And not only that, but the uneasiness even spread to my bible reading as well. I could barely read a chapter.
From a logical perspective, I couldn't understand it. It was a beautiful home. Very highly rated by prior guests. It was an incredible deal. I couldn't identify any specific reason why we shouldn't go. But from that point on, whenever I went to pray or read the bible, my heart started to beat fast, and I couldn’t focus.
Finally, and reluctantly, I went to the Airbnb app and canceled my reservation. Immediately the uneasiness went away, and I was able to pray and read the bible like normal again.
Philippians 4:6-7
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
[7] And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Here, the bible promises us that when we pray, we will experience the “peace of God” in our hearts and minds.
As I said before, discerning God's will can be tricky. And I definitely don’t have all the answers. But I can give you one tip: if you’re ever praying about something, and you don’t experience the “peace of God, which passeth all understanding;” instead you experience the exact opposite - worry, uneasiness, and apprehension - that could be a sign that is not the route God wants you to take. On the other hand, if you do possess perfect peace regarding a particular decision, that could be a sign you’ve chosen the right path.
I don't know why God didn't want my family to go on that trip. But I do know this - after having canceled the trip, the stress and uneasiness completely went away. I can pray normal again. I can read the bible normal again. And as nice as that trip would have been, maintaining peace with God in my heart is infinitely more important.
