perspective
So all morning I’ve been bemoaning the car situation. Anyone who knows me will immediately recognize my “drama queen” attitude. I have gone from extremes of “neither of us will have a car!” to “I’m going to go buy my Toyota Corolla right now!”. I have complained about having to get up early to take Paul to work, but really, I shouldn’t be complaining. I’m almost sick of myself now.
My roommate sent me an encouraging email this morning that I thought I’d share with ya’ll.
Also, one other thought that came to me this morning as I’ve been praying for you all, and especially about your car situations, is that even though I had lots of problems with my car the last year or two I had it (some really expensive to repair to keep it running) God did see me through day by day. And I was thinking about the fact that it’s a little more difficult for you and Paul living in two different places and having 2 work schedules to work around. But I do think God will honor your decision not to live together before marrying (which, as you said, would certainly have made the car situation much easier) and work out something for you – maybe just as unexpectedly as He did for me with the van!
This immediately put me in my place. Am I really trusting God in this situation? Or am I relying on my own knowledge and resources to solve my problem? I must admit that praying about this hadn’t even occurred to me. I forget that my Almighty Creator owns the cattle on a thousand hills, and He cares about me. He will provide the transportation we need.
I was talking to an old high school friend yesterday who was visiting the States from Hong Kong, and she was telling me about how her plans had gotten a little messed up with this trip. She said, “The good thing about not having everything work out perfectly is that I’ve been forced to be creative in my solutions! I would never have thought to do this, but it’s going to be fine.” Having a car to drive to work is such a logical choice, but perhaps we just need to be more creative about our decisions. Who knows what God has planned for us? And who are we to try and override His great plan, thinking we know better?
I want to close with a passage from Matthew 6. They are familiar verses, but too often forgotten when big decisions are facing us. My prayer is to seek His kingdom first, and then trust that everything else will be given to me. (Easier said than done!)
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”