"I'm so thankful I got a flat (tire) today!"
That was what I said to my parents when i got home from work today. Perhaps that seems like a strange thing to be thankful for, so allow me a couple minutes to explain:
My gut reaction, when my (amazing) client came in to tell me that my tire looked flat was, "are you kidding me?? that doesn't fit into my plans at all today!" But after a took a few (meaning, a LOT) of deep breathes, I realized that there was a new way to look at this situation. And as I pondered how I could possibly be thankful for something so inconvenient, I realized this:
This wasn't a nuisance to my day, it was a chance to say 'I trust you, God'. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more I was thankful for that flat tire. Because without it, I wouldn't have had the chance to set aside my "perfect" plans and trust God.
Smiling to myself, I put some air into my tire and prayed that it was a slow leak so I could make it back to town to get it fixed.
45 minutes later, and the air was still holding. YAY!
Finishing my cleaning job, I drove to the tire service store in the neighboring town (to mine). Talking to the (super, duper helpful and friendly) guy at the counter ( ;) ), I told him what I needed and then sat down to wait.
Doubt began to sneak in, as I realized how hungry I was, how much I wanted to take a nap, how much I still had to do. but instead of dwelling there, I chose to say, 'I trust You.' Moments later, that trust would be put to the ultimate test....(insert intensity building music)
"...We can't fix your tire. There's excessive dry rot in that tire, the other front tire won't pass inspection (due in 4 weeks), and the back tire has a hole in it."
Uh-oh. I might not know very much about cars, but standing in that garage (where a *strange* amount of mechanics stood watching me), I grasped that I was gonna be forking out some cash today.
Still the words, 'I trust You' flowed through my head and into my heart. Walking back inside to discuss the options, peace quelled the panic of half-the-stuff-he-just-said-i-dont-understand-and-now-he-is-gonna-want-a-LOT-of-money.
As it turns out, I got two new tires, and a plug in the back tire. and, of course, paid all those mechanics for their time (although it didn't seem that hard to stand there and watch a guy explain to me that the first 2 numbers refer to the week of the year, and the last 2 to the year the tire was made in ;) )Then it was off to the gas pumps to fill my (almost empty) tank. (oh and did I mention that before inspection I'll be dealing with a catalytic converter issue?)
Yet, as I walked in the door, I told my parents I was thankful for this all. Why? Because Jesus gave me many, MANY, chances today to move into a deeper trust; a trust that's willing to say, "Today I give you my body, mind, and heart. I give you my moments and my time. I trust that you have plans for GOOD, and not evil....and I trust that you'll give me lots of oxygen for the deep breathes I'lll have to take when I'm not sure I can trust you. :P"
So I am thankful for my flat tire today. I'm thankful that I have a good job with money to pay the bill. I'm thankful that the dry rot was caught before my tire blew (or whatever bad thing happens with that...). I'm thankful that I have first-world problems to complain about, not third-world crisis'. I'm thankful for the kindness that the mechanic showed me, and patience, in explain the options to me. I'm thankful for amazing clients who look out for me. I'm thankful for quick-ness in fixing the problem. And, mostly, I'm thankful that today I had another chance to move deeper into the lesson of redefining what trust looks like in my life--one baby step (or flat tire) at a time!
