My car broke down yesterday, and the children and I just barely made it home. You know, God truly does work ALL things together for our good, even when your 3 year old pees on himself and the floor in the shoe store. That's what my 3 year old did yesterday and it forced us to end our school shopping for the day. But I had to make one more stop at the supermarket and then we were going home.
About a mile away from home while driving on a winding road, I noticed that the steering wheel felt very stiff, like it wasn't turning at all. I tried moving it from side to side as I drove and it was hardly moving. When I got to a light, I put the car in park and tried to turn the wheels, and the steering wheel barely budged and felt extremely tight.
At that moment I realized that something was very wrong with the car. I began to pray and asked God to please let us make it home, begging Him to get us home, we were so close. I knew that I would run into a problem with the two sharp right turns I'd have to make and potentially going up a very steep hill that my kids call "the roller coaster."
When I got to the first right that I had to make at the bottom of the hill, I had so much difficulty swinging the car around that I was in the lane of oncoming traffic at the bottom of the roller coaster, and cars usually come flying down that hill. I mustered up as much strength as I could and fortunately got the car turned and into the right lane before any cars showed up.
The next challenge was going up that first climb of the roller coaster. I wasn't sure if the car would make it up or if the hill would cause the car to exert too much effort and die midway, causing us to go sliding quickly backward down the roller coaster. I had been praying since I noticed the car was in trouble, in between asking God why, why now and why so many tests all at once for me all the time. The kids were scared as we climbed the hill, I guess I was a little nervous too, but I floored it and we made it to the top. Whew!
Last task was to get the car into the long driveway. It's narrow and has vegetation on both sides. I tried to swing in, but the steering wheel was almost completely stuck at this point, so I kept going straight, but at a slight angle. I had to back up first, then using all the strength I had I turned that wheel and got the car out of the weeds and onto the pavement. I was then able to make it to the front of the house and park it. I began to cry for a minute and then got myself together.
I called my dad and told him what happened and he talked me through the possible scenarios and walked me through looking for the culprit the next day. It turned out that the belt in the car had come off. That was great news because one of the possible causes for what happened could've been related to the engine. If so, it would've been a major and expensive repair. The belt was an easy fix and should only cost around $50. Hallelujah!
God is so amazing at using the everyday things in life to create the everyday miracles that we need, everyday.
I don't like when my 3 year old pees on himself when we are out in public, or at home for that matter. But I am appreciative that he did it yesterday. If we had stopped at one more store than we did, we would've broke down far from home.
The timing for the breakdown was perfect for another test of my faith as this is a busy time. My 7 year old daughter starts school on Tuesday and we were picking up the things she needs for school the past few days. The school is not within bussing distance, so I have to drive her. I have to get my 5 year old set up for school as well as he will be starting with his sister or a few days later. I also have a job interview scheduled for next week.
And last but not least, in less than 2 weeks I have to take the ever dreadful drive to New York to see my lying husband in court for trial as he attempts to persuade the court that he has been my victim of verbal and physical abuse for the past 10 years and should be awarded custody of the kids he doesn't take care of and whose birthdays he didn't give a crap about this year.
Needless to say, I need my car.
The devil sent yet another attack my way, but like Neo in The Matrix, I'm starting to see how this whole thing works. When the bullets fly, just hold out my hand and tell him, "The devil is a liar. God said, 'not so.' No weapon formed against me will prosper." Isaiah 54:17 Then I can watch as the bullets fall to the ground one by one.
The dear friend that we are staying with told me that I can use her car for now and hopefully I should be able to get the car repaired on Monday. This same friend told me that when God does amazing things in her life that only God can do, she says, "God's just showing off."
Well there are so many amazing things God is doing and has done for us since we began our life of freedom. It helps take the sting out of some of the pain. God's been showing off in a lot of little ways and it is a tremendous boost to our faith. I make sure that I tell the kids all the good things God does for us and how He does it, so that their little faith can grow too. They are going to grow up seeing the "Lord's goodness while we are here in the land of the living." Psalm 27:13
It will also help them to know that their heavenly Father is not like their earthly one. God cares about what happens to them. 1 Peter 5:7 He is good and will never leave them, forsake them, or abandon them. Hebrews 13:5 That He will always take care of them and always love them and "nothing can separate them from that love." Romans 8:39
We still have some major needs that we are believing God for, so I'm excited to see how God is going to work it out and "show off" for us as He moves mountain after mountain out of our way.
The Lord has truly made a believer out of me.
