God Provides When He Guides
Commentary by Loren Negron
A few months ago, I saw a post on Instagram that read: God provides when He guides. I was really drawn to that post and wrote it down on my list of Truths to Remember that I have on my bedroom wall. It’s a message that I’ve been reflecting on since the day I found it.
Thousands of feet in the air, I am reminded of it again as I reflect on my trip to Kauai this winter break.
Of all times to visit Kauai, we decided to visit during its wet season. It was a big risk we took for a two-week trip. But God was so gracious and it only rained once — very briefly. We got to see and enjoy every part of Kauai with its warm, sunny and humid weather.
We started our trip backpacking the Kalalau Trail through the Na Pali Coast, which is named the most dangerous trail in Hawaii and one of the most dangerous trails in America. It was a 22-mile hike that we completed in four days. Something worth noting is that we both were very crazy to have our first ever backpacking trip on this trail of all places. With our very limited knowledge in backpacking, we successfully hiked in and out with no one dying or seriously hurting themselves. We even got to meet a baby goat named Lucinda at one of the beach campsites.
We were so blessed with great weather! And even though it started raining when we got to Crawler’s Ledge — the most dangerous part of the trail — it didn’t rain long enough for us to experience serious complications during our hike.
After the long and arduous hike, we started our actual vacation and visited so many places and did beach camping every night. One of those days, Cooper casually mentioned how nice it would be to have a cooler and have drinks and snacks. A few hours later, as we were setting up camp, a man and his family pulled up beside us and asked if we wanted their cooler. They were leaving Kauai that night and wanted to get rid of it. Well, of course we said yes! And inside were drinks and snacks!
One of the most meaningful and impactful moments that happened during our trip was meeting this wonderful Christian couple named Kathy and Mike. We met them during a homeless ministry outreach that we did with Lihue Missionary Church. They took us to lunch afterward and spent the afternoon with us. They even lent us their beach chairs and boogie boards, which was something we wanted to buy or rent while we were on the island. They gave us drinks to put in our cooler. They took their time to really get to know us. Overall, it was so encouraging and refreshing to be around them. Toward the end of the trip, God was able to use them to help us during a time of conflict and pain. Kathy and Mike will not be forgotten.
So many other wonderful things happened during our trip, but in all of those, God provided. This was a much needed trip to rest, enjoy life, have risk-taking and crazy adventures, learn and grow. God provides when He guides. And even though we may not know the big picture of how and why God is moving in that moment, we can trust that God has a purpose. God always has the best prepared for us.
