I have been planning a trip to Italy ever since my latest granddaughter was born there on Christmas Eve.

It has been great fun looking ahead to spending time with my son and his family, especially my two darling granddaughters.

Looking for convenient, economical flights has been a bit less enjoyable, but not too bad, as long as I was able to put off making the actual decision.  This morning, as I watched the prices of a couple of flights actually go up by $100 during my search, I decided I had to choose my flight and book it.

I had checked a variety of sites and was confident that I had found the best option, but when it came time to click “book the flight” I almost couldn’t do it.  I had made up my mind to go to Italy, I had the money set aside, my vacation time from work  had been approved, I had found the best flights and still I was reluctant to commit.

Partly, it is the “non-refundable” nature of economy airfares, but there seemed to be more to it.

After forcing myself to go through with purchasing the tickets I went out for a walk and pondered my experience.

I decided that I was indulging in a bout of superstition.  Some part of me was thinking that to make the commitment would be bad luck, or would cause something terrible to happen that would either keep me from using the tickets or make the plane crash.  Ridiculous, of course, but the near panic I felt was certainly real.

Here I am, a Bible-believing Christian, with all the superstitious fears of the most  pagan kind.

This is a reminder to me of just how easy it can be to let one’s emotions take control.

As I walked, I prayed that God will strengthen my faith in every area of my life.

I know he is in control of whatever happens. Faith can be easy….day to day trust can be hard.