The Delay That Upgraded My Faith

A trip to Mexico taught me about fear, faithfulness and trusting God in the unexpected, and I almost didn't go. 

I haven't been back to Mexico since I was about 14. It's not like I just drifted away; there was a reason. Between the stories I'd heard over the years and family members over there literally telling us not to come, I had quietly built a wall around the idea of ever going back. It became one of those things where you just accept it as off-limits and move on.

But one of my good friends was getting married there, and when I found out, something in me said, "Go anyway."

I wrestled with it. I thought about the warnings. I thought about everything I'd been told. And then I thought about my friend, about what it would mean to show up for him on one of the biggest days of his life. So I booked the flight. 

I want to be honest, there was still a little nervousness in my chest when that plane landed. But I chose to trust God over fear. What I found on the other side of that fear was one of the most beautiful experiences I've had in a long time.

The Hammock

Every morning, I’d wake up before anyone else. No alarm, I just kept waking up early, like something was pulling me out of bed. I'd walk down to the beach, find a hammock and just lie there with the Lord as the sun came up over the ocean. 

I want you to understand what I mean when I say I spent time with Him. I'm not talking about a quick prayer before breakfast. I mean, lying in that hammock and soaking up hours. I talked to Him. I listened. I watched the sky change colors and let myself be present. No phone. No content. No noise. It was just me and God and the sound of the ocean.

Those mornings were the highlight of the whole trip. I didn't fully understand why at the time, but I think God was filling me up before He was about to test me. He does that, and He prepares you in the quiet before He asks you to trust Him in the chaos.

The Fast

This month, I did a social media fast. I know what you're thinking, Joe, that's literally your job. Yes, it is. So, I didn't stop posting. I kept creating content, kept showing up for my audience, but I stopped consuming. No scrolling through other people's content. No watching what everyone else was doing. No staying in the know just to stay in the know.

What I found were hours. Literal hours in my day that I didn't know I had. I'd reach for my phone out of habit, put it down, and just sit with myself, with the Lord, and with my thoughts. It was actually really good.

The Lord showed me, through that fast, something I needed to hear: You don't have to consume everything the world is putting out to live a good life. It's okay to not know what's trending. It's okay to miss something. You can still be effective, still be present, still be full without being plugged in 24/7.

It also made me think about the family I want someday. I don't want my kids growing up watching their dad always on his phone. I don't want them to feel like they're competing with a screen for my attention. And this fast showed me something important,  I actually can put it down. I have more self-control than I was giving myself credit for. That was a big deal for me to see in myself.

The Quiet Choice

It was an all-inclusive resort. That means drinks were available, were free and it was completely normal and acceptable to grab one. Nobody would have thought anything of it. There was no pressure either way; it was just there.

I'll be honest,  it was tempting. When you're on a beautiful beach in Mexico, celebrating a wedding and everything around you says it's fine, that's a real moment. I'm not going to pretend it wasn't.

But I just decided not to partake that weekend. No big announcement. No sermon about it. I just made a quiet personal decision and moved on. I was also careful with what I ate and made sure to use bottled water, even for brushing my teeth, small things that most people don't think twice about on such a trip.

By the end of the trip, a ton of people had gotten food poisoning. A lot of the group was sick. I wasn't.

I don't say that to make anyone feel bad; I say it because it's a quiet reminder that small, faithful decisions matter even when nobody is watching and nobody is going to clap for you. God sees the private moments. He honors the ones nobody else notices.

The Detour

The wedding was everything. We celebrated big. We laughed. I watched two people stand before God and everyone they love and commit their lives to each other, and it was genuinely one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. I was so glad I didn't let fear talk me out of being there.

And then it was time to head home.

Except our flight got delayed. Overnight. In Mexico. My friend and I looked at each other, and we both said it out loud; we did not want to be there. We were worried. We had no control over the situation, and we knew it. 

After everything we'd heard about why not to be there, being stuck unexpectedly in a foreign country with nowhere to go was exactly the scenario we'd been warned about.

And then the airline (shoutout to American) put the entire flight up in a five-star, all-inclusive hotel. For free. 

What started as a genuinely worrying moment turned into another night of laughing with strangers from our flight, enjoying the food and making the most of an unexpected extra night. It was a good hotel; God came through.

Here is what I kept thinking about afterward: I did everything right, and the flight still got delayed. I brushed my teeth with bottled water and still got stuck overnight in a foreign country. Preparation and obedience don't exempt you from disruption. They do, however, put you in a position to receive what God has on the other side of it.

"The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory belongs to the Lord." - Proverbs 21:31

Your job is to prepare the horse. God decides the battle. You make the wise choices, the quiet ones, the ones nobody sees and then you trust Him with everything you can't control. Because there will always be something you can't control. A delayed flight. A situation you didn't see coming. Something that catches you off guard, no matter how prepared you were.

Those hammock mornings weren't just nice moments by the ocean. It was a time for preparation. God was quieting something in me before He asked me to trust Him in the unexpected. That's who He is, He fills you up in the quiet so you have something to draw from when things don't go the way you planned.

Take the risk. Do the fast. Make the quiet, faithful choice. Trust the detour. You prepare, God handles the rest.

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Tinnakorn Jorruang

Reflect on this:

1. Is there something fear has been keeping you away from that God might actually be calling you toward?
2. What small, private, faithful decision do you need to make this week that nobody will see or clap for?
3. Where in your life are you trying to control outcomes that belong to God?
4. Think about a time a delay or disruption turned into something better than you planned. Was God in that?

Joe Navarro, known online as @joechristianguy, is a Christian content creator, entrepreneur, and cultural voice passionate about making faith approachable and impactful for the next generation. With over 4.5 million combined followers across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, Joe delivers bold, Gospel-centered truth through a mix of daily encouragement, short-form teachings, comedic skits, and authentic life experiences. His unique blend of theology, humor, and clarity has created space for millions of young believers and skeptics alike to engage with Scripture and real conversations about following Jesus in a digital world. In 2023, he co-created the popular card game Discernment alongside Jacob and Julia Petersen, which is now available in major retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Museum of the Bible, and Mardel. He also holds a degree in Agricultural Economics with a minor in Sales from Texas A&M.