My SUV broke down yesterday. I had just come from a play date with Brielle and I had about 45 minutes before I needed to be home so our Nanny Taylor could leave for school. Brielle and I had a great time at the MOPS art play date. I was in a good mood and was happy to have the extra time to go exchange some sheets at Bed Bath and Beyond (I bought the wrong size the previous day) and perhaps pop into TJMaxx next door while I was there. Then my car stalled out in the intersection with a line of cars behind me. I was trying not to panic. I turned the vehicle off and started it again. It wouldn’t move. I said a prayer out loud and asked for God to get the car moving so we could at least move safely out of the intersection. We were on Southlake Blvd, which is the busiest road in town because it is the main road that runs through town. God answered my prayer and we slowly coasted into the closest plaza. I shut the car off again because it was chugging. When I turned it back on the engine light was on, but it sounded better. I drove a bit and it was going slow. I couldn’t get it to shift out of first gear. It is an automatic transmission, but it has a manual feature, so I put it in manual and sure enough it would not let me go over 25-30 miles an hour. It seemed to be stuck in first gear. Not a problem I thought, I will drive directly to the dealership. In first gear, slowly. It is a new vehicle. My husband gave it to me for Mother’s Day. Fortunately, the dealership was just a few minutes away. I kept praying while driving that it would not stop working altogether again. I didn’t want to stall out and get stuck in the middle of the road. It took over 30 minutes to drive that short distance to the dealership. When I arrived they had a vehicle waiting for me! My husband, who I had called in Germany, to let know what was happening, made a call to the dealership so they had a loaner ready and waiting for me. The gentlemen at the dealership helped me carry all 3 car seats to the loaner after I unhooked the car seats. They helped me move the rest of he stuff over to the other car as well, because we didn’t know what was wrong with my vehicle or how long I would be using the loaner.
Through it all I was thankful. I was thankful that we actually made it to the dealership, thankful for the loaner, thankful for the men at Sewell Cadillac who helped me so quickly, thankful that I had only Brielle with me and not all 3 kids, thankful that I was headed in the direction of the dealership when the vehicle began having issues, thankful that we have vehicles and the means to fix them, thankful that it happened after the play date so Brielle and I got to enjoy the morning together, thankful for a husband who called the dealership to help me out while he is away in Germany thousands of miles away, and thankful to God for answering my prayers so that we made it safely to the dealership. I made the conscious decision the instant the car stalled that I wouldn’t let it ruin my day. Where did I turn for help? God first. I prayed. Having a vehicle break down can ruin a person’s day. It is scary and unpredictable. I don’t like unpredictable situations. Making an immediate decision on how I would react to the situation at hand, helped me become thankful for the things that were going right.
Today at my bible study we were studying and discussing the book of Numbers. We talked about the grumbling of the Isrealites while in the desert and how much it displeased God. God dealt with them with some heavy punishments. God dislikes our grumbling and complaining very much and how he dealt with the Israelites in Numbers is a good example of how much it displeases him. God has given so much to us! He is our ultimate father and what parent wants to hear complaints and grumbling when they have done so much for their children and provided a great deal of blessings! When we grumble that is what God sees in us; children complaining when he has literally given us the world! Perspective is everything. Looking at the positive and thanking God for the blessings, even in difficult situations is what pleases God and makes our lives so much better! Do we feel better when we grumble or does it make us feel worse when we concentrate on the negative? It is as simple as this: negativity breeds negativity and thankfulness breeds a content and happy existence. I am going to work harder on making sure I see the positive and cut the grumbling. As I look around my living room and see a complete mess my kids made after school today I could certainly grumble about all the work that lies ahead of me…cleaning up the huge mess, cooking dinner, feeding them dinner, bathing them, dressing them in pajamas, doing the dishes, and then preparing things for the next day. No, I won’t complain and I choose not to grumble. I will instead be so extremely thankful for all the work that I do have tonight and every night, because the work comes from being a Mom and being so incredibly blessed to have children. Five years ago I was dying inside for this opportunity to be a Mom, including all the work it entails. Today I am that Mom, blessed beyond measure. Does it come with work, problems, and issues daily? Of course, but I won’t worry about all that. Instead I choose thankfulness. Thank you Lord for these children and all the messes that they make daily.
