Making it to Paris
I sat on the plane for an agonizing 10 hours and still, it didn’t feel real. It hadn’t yet resonated with me that I was actually headed to the destination I had been dreaming of since I was just a young little girl. I was finally headed to Paris, and my brain had convinced me I was dreaming. It was only when I glanced my first sliver of the Eiffel Tower through the window of our Uber that it hit me, and tears immediately budded in my eyes.
I fell in love with Paris the same way I had with art and black & white movies — instantaneously and with a natural, kindred ease. The city was so alive with creativity, passion, and culture that you could see it so vividly in the faces of passersby and the views out our small apartment window. The macarons and croissants were divine, the museums were breathtaking, and the city was utterly intoxicating.
Sure, there were some negative elements to Paris, as there is with any city. The traffic was horrible, police sirens wailed through the night, and you wouldn’t believe the amount of ash that I would catch in my hair from a simple cafe dinner. Yet, everything - and I mean everything - was cast away from my mind when I saw the Eiffel Tower sparkle for the first time. It was easily the most magical moment of my life. I was cruising down the Seine on a river boat late one evening when the Eiffel Tower came alive as if lit by a thousand fireflies. I couldn’t help it. Tears streamed down my smiling face.
You see, the year before this trip had been the most difficult year of my life. At many points, my future had seemed so bleak, and I had struggled to go on. Seeing the Eiffel Tower sparkle that night, it was like I could hear God’s voice in my ear. He was telling me that this was an example of the wonderful blessings He has right around the corner for us, if we just hold on and make it through those hard times.
FOR I KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU, DECLARES THE LORD. PLANS TO PROSPER YOU AND NOT TO HARM YOU. PLANS TO GIVE YOU HOPE AND A FUTURE.
JEREMIAH 29:11
Jeremiah 29:11 has always been my favorite Bible verse. The verse rang true the moment it was first written, and it is still true to this day. God has a plan. Not just for me, but for you as well. As humans, we cannot see or understand His plan, and that’s okay. It is not our job to understand. All God asks is that we simply have faith and trust in Him.
We might not be able to see what’s waiting for us around the corner when life gets hard, but God does. He’s got blessings waiting for us, if we just hold on. Paris will always hold a special place in my heart for teaching me that.
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