Whine Sputter and Choke

It never ceases to amaze me of how God can use a supposedly ordinary circumstance to:

1. Change my perspective and attitude
2. Let me see or experience Him

I was so excited. I was to speak at a small gathering/potluck at church. I was to share my testimony and talk a little about change (not pocket change) with our wonderful more mature members. These godly saints are very special to me and I felt so honored that they asked me to share parts of my life.

Mondays are very busy days for me at work and I knew I have to be totally prepared by Sunday evening so not to be so stressed on Monday. I made my daughter’s favorite “Sunday Chicken Casserole” and had my testimony all typed (in large font) and ready to go. A dear friend who is living with us agreed to put the casserole in the oven for me at a specific time on Monday. All I had to do was get out of work on time, run by the house, pick up my hot and yummy casserole and get to church.

Went to bed Sunday night with a smile on my face…I had it all planned…smooth sailing...ready to go…no hassles, no stress. I was proud of myself for such efficient and timely planning.

Woke up Monday with snow in the weather forecast…scheduled to start around the same time I leave for work…hmm...okay, maybe, just maybe I can leave work a few minutes early.

Things basically exploded at work all day….one of those days where you need two hours for every one hour of work….hmmm…now my stress level is building….5:15PM and an emergency conference call came through….. I push the call as hard and fast as I could and ran out the door at 6:45PM. I had 15 minutes to get to the house (a 20-minute drive on a good day), pick up the hot and yummy casserole, and get to church.

I run outside in the bitter cold, snow is everywhere, in the air, on the ground, and my car is covered! Okay, quick swish of the snow off the car…a revved up exit from the parking lot and I am flying toward the entrance of the freeway….while trying to peek through the tiny little hole in the middle of my windshield (come on heat, come on).

People are driving sooooooo slow and I am seeing nothing but brake lights and 270 is a parking lot. Oh, no…

I start praying, “Lord, you know the schedule, you know the time frame, you know, you know....I hate being late…I really want to do this for your Lord…could you move that snail in front of me…it’s all for your glory Lord…why did it have to snow Lord….I really dislike being late….I don’t have to eat…just get me there on time….That’s it Lord I can make it by 6:30-6:45 and still share what you have put on my heart…Lord open up a lane that can go a little faster then 10 MPH…..”

I am noticing as I’m praying that my car seems a little dark and where is that heat!…Oh, no, the battery light is on. The windshield wipers started going very slooowwww, my headlights are dim and my radio is very quiet. The car is slowly dying…the windshield wipers are not working now, the headlights are no more, I am driving in the dark… and I am freezing.

All of the sudden the plea and urgency of my prayer changed… “Lord get me to the next exit…I really don’t want to stall on the freeway…please, please let my car run long enough to get to an exit”….I was no longer concerned about being late...I just wanted to be safe.

God did just that…to the next exit, then off the main road to a side street and only then did my car sputter, choke and die. With chattering teeth, I called my friend at home and told him to take the casserole out of the oven and call someone at the church to tell them I would not be there. I called Dennis (and thanking God for cell phones) and he came to my rescue with his warm truck and AAA on the way.

In a matter of minutes, my concerns and perspective changed. What was so darn urgent and irritating was no longer an issue…being late was thrown to the back seat of my mind and I was now fearful, cold, and needed protection and care. My prayer went from pleading with a little whining and wanting my scheduled to be met…to asking God to protect me and get me to a safe place.

And God did that…He met me in the car and got me off the freeway to a side street. Not only that, but provided a car for me to use that very night…..all that and so much more even though my first prayer was more of a flair prayer with a bad attitude.

You see, God is so faithful…even when I am not. He is so gracious even when I spit out my puny little requests…er, I mean demands. I needed an attitude adjustment and God used a bad alternator to do that.

The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; Psa 103:8-13a.

“As far as the east is to the west”…and He took me another 2 miles east to a safe place before my car died. So much farther than I deserved…but oh, so much like Him.