Not All Who Wander Are Lost

I walked right by this food truck in Milan last summer without trying a cannoli!

Have you eaten from a food truck yet?

I just hopped on board this bandwagon for the first time when I hit the road with my colleagues to buy lunch from two food trucks parked beside our office complex.

My coworkers told me the food trucks roll into our plaza every week, but they're never sure which ones will show up. They've sampled the fare from trucks peddling lobster rolls and Jamaican jerk chicken and fish tacos, so I didn't know what to expect.

But as I rounded the corner, I couldn't believe my eyes. It was as if the food trucks had aligned just for me since they must have known I was on the way over for lunch. 

{How lucky could a Francophile-girl get?}

Parked in front of me was Frenchy’s Crepe truck, with a full menu of savory and sweet crepes. 

Ooh la la. 

But even with a sweet crepe filling my mind, I first got in line at the Mediterranean food truck.

I ordered stuffed grape leaves that had a striking resemblance to my aunt’s stuffed cabbage rolls, although not nearly as scrumptious.

But the crepes were waiting. 

I ordered the s’mores crepe since it featured the most ingredients: chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers. 

As I stood at Frenchy’s truck window and watched him make my crepe, it got me thinking.

I admired these food truckers. 

They seemed brave and resourceful to always be on the move, setting up shop in a parking lot, cooking and serving. 

They didn't let their nomadic state, traveling around town without a restaurant home, change what they are called to do: share their culinary skills and talents with those of us who enjoy them. 

Their wandering is actually their recipe for success.

But I wondered how they handled the unknowns.

Do they question where they're headed? Do they pack it in and give up if nobody shows up where they're parked? What if they run out of ingredients or energy? What if their one-man show can’t keep up with the demand?

Maybe the food truckers and I have more in common than I first thought. 

{Maybe with you too?}

We head out on a journey, ready to cook up a life filled with beautiful and delicious adventures. 

Then we discover we’ve bitten off more than we can chew and we have a lot on our plates. 

Maybe we're frazzled and overwhelmed and thinking about changing direction. We don't know if we should keep going or head to the next stop and park ourselves there for awhile.

Or maybe our days have become routine and we wonder how we didn't notice that our supplies are depleted. 

We’ve run dangerously low on faith, used up all of our courage, and now we’re stalled and staring blankly at the future, unsure what to do next. 

We wander but God calls us back to his side. 

We wilt in the heat from what’s cooking in our souls but God’s protective arm sustains us. 

We grow weary but in ways mysterious and awe-filled, God shows us his love. 

We walk onward into the unknown but God leads us forward, showing us the next step. 

When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. - John 10:4

Maybe what they say is true. 

Not all who wander are lost. 

And that includes us.

As we walked back to the office, my colleagues told me I had to come with them again so I could try the seafood truck’s lobster tots, some sort of tater tot crossed with lobster that they said was worth the walk.

But for that lunch hour in my Florida office complex, I might as well have been wandering around Paris, lost in my thoughts enjoying a crepe from one of the carts on the city streets. 

All that was missing was the nutella.

I'm having coffee with friends at Holley Gerth's Coffee for your Heart and with Bonnie Gray at the Faith Barista. Join me there for more posts from my blogger friends!