I apologize for my delinquency in posting lately. It certainly was not my intention to let so much time go by. Hopefully, I am back on track now, and will write at least somewhat regularly.
Have you ever had the feeling that God was sending a message so clearly and strongly you just couldn't overlook it? I have - on more than one occasion. Such was the case on the way to work the other morning. The day and night before had been pretty stressful. I was deep in thought and more than a little down in the dumps. Lo and behold, to add it -- I had a flat tire! "Well this is just great, I thought to myself. Here I am stuck on the side of the road and now I am going to be late for work." Ah, but little did I know.
As a woman having any kind of car trouble is a scary thing, especially if we are alone. I usually feel so helpless. I am always concerned about the type of person who might stop to help while at the same time, knowing that I need help. Oh sure, I was taught how to change a flat tire - no, I was shown how to change a flat. I had never actually done it myself.
The surprise was on me, though. That flat tire was the best thing that happened to me that day. OK - before you think I am totally crazy, let me explain. First of all, I was close enough to my work place that if absolutely necessary, I could call and get someone to pick me up. Secondly, I was not on the four lane, but in a residential neighborhood - just in front of a house where there was ample room to pull off the road safely.
Two blessings to be thankful for already. And I was. I said a quick but heartfelt "Thank you, Lord" before I called my supervisor to tell her I was going to be late. That was blessing number three, because instead of being upset she simply said, "Bless your heart" and then asked if I needed help. I told her I didn't think so, and that I would be there as soon as I could.
The next thing I did was text my prayer group. We have a "groupme" text set up -- I told them what was going on and asked for prayers. That was when the best parts started happening!
I already knew that the Lord had blessed me this morning. I hadn't had a blow out going down the highway at a faster speed. Instead, I was only a few miles from work in a quiet residential neighborhood. I truly already felt blessed and protected. It only got better from here.
An older man stopped and asked if I needed help. I said, yes. He pulled over and got out of his car. After surveying the problem, he asked me if I had a spare with me. I did. Then he told me that his health was not good enough to change the tire himself, but he would go into town to one of the auto places and send someone from there to come and help me. Knowing that this would soon get me some help, I thanked him very much. He told me to be patient and someone would be with me in about 15 to 20 minutes.
He left and I checked my phone. Several of my sisters were willing to jump to my rescue. One of them, declared she did know how to change a flat and was on the way. Another, was ready to send a male co worker of hers. I told them someone was coming from the auto shop. Both told me to let them know if they didn't show up.
It is such a wonderful thing to know that good Christian brothers and sisters have got your back. I love having that precious bond with other Christians. Our prayer group is so close to one another and so loyal. Any one of us would do anything we could to help the other. This flat tire reminded me of that. I felt God's love and His presence through them.
The older man soon came back, followed by the truck from the auto shop. He got out and told me the young man was going to take care of me. Again, I thanked him. He was certainly a very good and kind man. The young man from the auto shop, promptly went to work changing my tire. He was also very kind and respectful. I realized God was with me.
Then as he was working on my car, one more sister from the prayer actually came by to make sure I was OK. She wanted to see for herself that I was being taken care of. I hugged her like three times and told her how much I appreciated her coming to check on me. She simply smiled and said, "That's what sisters do for each other, right." Of course, she was right!!
Through that flat tire, I felt God's presence in my life. I felt like He was indeed sending me a message. No, it was not some voice from heaven calling down to me. It was just a gentle reminder from the Lord that He cared for me. I do believe in God's providence. I believe with all my heart that God uses people. He used the kind man to let me know I was not alone. He used the young man from the auto shop (who charged me nothing for changing my tire) that help was never far away. And He reminded me through my beautiful sisters that it was very, very good to be part of God's family.
One of my sisters often uses the phrase that God takes lemons and makes the best lemonade out of it that you could ever dream of having. I agree with her. My Dad has often said that if you have car trouble but are able to get it taken care of - don't fuss about the car trouble, just be thankful you can get it fixed and back on the road again. He has often reminded of the blessings within the misfortunes of life. You know, kind of like Paul says in Philippians, "Be anxious for nothing, but in all things give thanks."
My blessings did not end there. I decided that since I was already late for work - that I would go buy soft drinks to take to work. It is less expensive than buying them out of the vending machines. At the store, the man in front of me let me go ahead of him. As I paid and was about to leave I turned around to thank him and he said, "Have a blessed day." As I walked away, I thought to myself, "I already have, sir. I already have."
It was then, I remembered all God's promises about being with us in times of trouble. I remembered the Psalmist said God is "a very present help" in trouble. I realized that if God is with me over the mishap of a flat tire; He would certainly be with me during any other of my struggles.
Our God is a great and powerful God. He is kind and loving - a protector of His people. He will be with us - He has promised His children that. If we love Him and follow Him, He will be with us through all our troubles. The troubles may not always go away - we still have to deal with and get through whatever life throws at us -- but God is with us. He is always willing to help us. He loves us that much.
Yes, that flat tire was the best thing that happened me to that day. Thank you, God for the reminders!
Christ above all things,
Robin
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