Keep Austin Batty
Yesterday was my youngest son Dawson’s 16th birthday. We thought it would be fun if he and I took a road trip to Austin, Texas and take his driving test there. Some of the things we love about Austin is its music culture, the great food, and coffee houses.
On the trip we decided to see one of Austin’s unusual sites, the bats at Congress Street Bridge. There is apparently as many as 700,000 bats living under the bridge. Each night the bats emerge at dusk and fly east and it is quite an incredible sight. We looked online and it said you should arrive early if you want to get a place on the rail to watch. With sunset scheduled for 8:10 pm, we arrived at 7:30. It did not take long for a crowd to form along the bridge and in the grass along the banks of the river. It had been raining most of the day so it was unusually cool and very windy for May in Texas. By the time sunset arrived I was ready to see the bats and get out of the cold wind.
It was a very interesting group of people that were gathered, including “Batman”. Batman was clapping and trying to get everyone excited about the coming attraction. He was also deaf and selling buttons that said “Keep Austin Batty”.
Right on schedule we watched a beautiful sunset, then turned back to the east to watch for the bats. On the water below three boats had arrived full of bat watchers, we must be getting close.
As we waited people began to get impatient and leave, I was tempted myself. Dawson looked and me and said, “you have to stay, you will blog about this.” As I thought about what he said, it made me think about how I always talk about Courage, Commitment, and Faith. I had complete faith that there were bats under the bridge and that we would see them fly out, but the more times past the more I began to doubt and my commitment began to wane.
I thought to myself, Dawson is right, I can’t give up now! We might be giving up right before the “breakthrough”. It would make a great blog to write about being some of the few that made it to the end and saw the incredible site. It was “Nothing is Impossible” kind of moment.
It was now 9pm, no bats. More people left but the boats were still there. They do this all the time, surely they know. We were getting a glimpse of what was surely to come, there were bats flying in and out from under the bridge, we must be close. 9:15, the boats leave, only a few people on the bridge, there would be no flight tonight.
What happens when you have the courage to believe, you are committed to the process, and what your praying for appears not to happen? You are not pregnant, you did not get the job, or the miraculous healing didn’t happen. Is God still good? Do you love Him anyway?
God tells us in His word that He has a plan and that it is for good. His ways are not our ways and His timing is not our timing, but He is Good and He is Faithful.
Dawson asked me if I would ever go back and try again. Yes, I would. In the same way I will courageously commit to following God even when I feel disappointed in the moment. I will have Faith in a God who loves me.
What are you believing for? What do you need to say I am “all in” to? I would love to help you clarify your vision and see the possibilities.
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