Rejoice and Be Glad in It

After waking up Friday morning on the floor of the London Stansted Airport, any subsequent mornings were bound to be better. My window seat on the night train to Trondheim, Norway the following night was indeed a welcome improvement. I was exhausted. I had taken a final exam on Thursday and, after my overnight layover in London, had arrived in Oslo later Friday morning. I had spent the day exploring the sprawling Norwegian capital on foot, logging just under 23 miles. I had visited museums and gone on hikes and watched the sun slowly sink into the water beyond the harbor before racing to catch a night train headed even farther north. I woke up Saturday morning just as the train pulled into my station. I was picked up by a young man who had been vouched for by a handful of online acquaintances, and driven to his parents’ house where I caught a few more hours of sleep. Sunday morning, however, was truly magical.

I woke up in a 200-year-old cabin in the middle of rural Norway, with snow lightly falling outside my window. The snow covered the rooftops of the barn and balanced on the top of the barren branches of the tree that blocked much of my view. Horses with thick coats stood around in the field, awaiting the delivery of their morning meal. Fences and small bushes poked their way through the thick fleece that blanketed the rolling fields and the forested hills beyond them.

I lay in bed marveling at the beauty of not only the world around me but the circumstances that had led me to that experience. I had decided to study abroad on a whim. I had decided to fly across the continent to Norway for the weekend, alone. I had decided to trust a stranger’s invitation to stay in his cabin.

Perhaps, as Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans and as Joseph told his brothers, God does work all things for the good, to bring about this present outcome. As the Psalmist wrote, this is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Waking up in a cozy cabin as snow collects on the branches outside your window. This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Waking up on a regional train as it drives through unfamiliar countryside. This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Waking up on the floor of London Stansted Airport, arms twisted through the straps of your day pack. This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.