As I was driving with the entire family to an appointment the other day, I hit what I thought was a pothole (we'll come back to that… wow…), and then “thwap, thwap, thwap…”
Let me tell you, in all my years of selling houses, I never had a flat on the road. Lots of nails from construction zones and slow leaks, but no PULL OVER THE CAR! moments. Anyway, we pulled off onto a side street and got out to change the tire, only to find out that my car doesn't have a spare. It has something called a “run-flat” tire. But, I digress. As the kids and I hung out in the warm summer air, waiting for my hubby to coordinate a tow truck and a ride back home, I took a breath and said - “God, I trust you.” You see, there's an option in a moment like that for anger because of the poor condition of the roads. Or worry because we're going to miss our appointment. Or anxiety because this is another distraction and time-suck out of my schedule. There is definitely a temptation to dive into scarcity - especially because we bought a trailer last week and this is going to cost money. But there is also an option to choose faith.
If I do in fact believe all things work together for my good, then, regardless of the suck, this is part of that picture. Who knows - this could have kept us from an accident. And in those moments, we don't know if this was for someone else's good either. How God uses our experiences and interactions in unexpected ways always astounds me.
So I took my breath and said, "Ok God, I trust you."
Here's what's so cool. Over the last couple of days, I'm already seeing how God used this. Because I had to bike to the tire shop, I ended up connecting with a woman I know about church and theology in a sidewalk conversation that we wouldn't have had otherwise. I ran into a neighbor at the tire shop that I haven't had a conversation with in a long time. I've been able to use the story to encourage other people in their own perseverance through challenges.
And, God is providing. New clients yesterday that more than cover the cost of tires… And a fix that should have taken 3-4 days, but only took a morning (and at a discount).
Also, because this happens all the time, I looked at my phone before bed on the night that this had all happened, and the verse of the day was this - So do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we wear?" For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows you need them. (Matthew 6:31, NIV)
Oh, and it wasn't a pothole… That is a large metal chunk of someone's brake pad… yes, from another car. The run-flat tire thing I mentioned? Well, if we had normal tires, we would have been flat in a nano-second and who knows what damage we would have been dealing with.
All in all, it's been a good week. God is good. He kept us safe. He provided. And that won't change because He doesn't. BTW, if you're defaulting to a perspective that isn't helping move you forward, or that is sucking the life out of you, don't stay there. God has so much better for you.
Grace, peace, and power, Juli
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