How do you react?
Today Megan and I set out for our trip to Mississippi to visit with the McKee family. We even left town about 15 minutes earlier than we had planned. Before leaving, Pete check the car to make sure everything was in order.
After we got about 1 1/2 hours from home we decided to stop for breakfast. (This was not our usual stop.) We always stop about 2 hours from home but today we were ready to stop earlier. As I pulled up to the fast food place and parked, steam started pouring from under the hood of the car. Since Megan and I were traveling alone I was going to have to be the one who had to check things out. What was I to do? What was happening? I took a deep breath and opened the hood.
Of course I quickly called Pete to get some instruction. Pete was feeling badly because more than likely he had left the cap loose on the radiator since this was one of the things he had checked before we left this morning. So now we had to try to get some water to fill the radiator. What would be our next step? Where would we get water?
Off we went into the fast food restaurant to get breakfast while I tried to think things through. After waiting for 10 minutes and our order still not being done, they kindly refunded our money and off we went. Megan and I walked across the street to a store to buy a gallon of water. I needed something to be able to pour the water into the radiator. This would work! Then back we went to the car to check things out.
We talked to Pete again who told us what to do and now we began to fill the radiator and make sure there were no leaks. AND there were none! Now I needed to start the car and check the levels and see if there were any other leaks. (All the while I was thinking: "If only that cap had not been loose." Our immediate reaction is always to blame others. It was not Pete's fault. It was all just part of God's plan and protection for us today.)
In the background we heard sirens but were more concerned with what was going on in our world with our car. Everything check out okay and then back to the store we went to purchase another gallon of water to take with us on the trip.
By this time we had wasted about 1 1/2 hour with the stop and repairs. As Megan and I discussed the events of our morning we reminded ourselves that it was not an accident that we had stopped in time and that we were able to get what we needed and that it wasn't more of a problem. Was this a coincidence? NOT at all! For we have a Heavenly Father who always is in control of our lives.
We were finally headed out again but we didn't get far. One exit down the road we were faced with a major traffic jam. The cars on the interstate were only going 5 miles per hour. We continued for at least another 30 minutes this way until we found the source of the traffic jam. It was a bad accident! We noticed several cars involved in the accident and a semi-truck had run off the road.
AGAIN, I was reminded that if all of the car problems and inconveniences had not taken place this morning, it could have been us in that accident. My perspective totally changed. Why had I reacted wrongly to the changes to "my plans?"
God holds our lives in His hands. Every details of our lives matter to Him. Every event in our lives should be used to glorify Him. This was a teachable lesson for myself as well as for Megan. I was reminded that my Father's plans are the best for me whether they are thought of as good plans or bad plans but HE IS ALWAYS GOOD. He never changes. He always has our best interest at heart. By the events that happened in my life today as we traveled, this was a great lesson that I needed to be reminded of today.
Thank you, God, for your protection. You are El SHADDAI.
We arrived safe and sound but two hours later than we had expected. It didn't matter after all because we were thankful to have arrived in Mississippi to be with our family.
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