Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. This is one of those verses we all quote but sometimes don’t really believe. Especially when things go wrong. It’s hard to see the good in the bad. But yesterday God made this verse really hit home. Here’s what happened: On Sunday morning I was leaving early because I was singing on the worship team at my church. As my husband was helping me load the children into the car, I noticed that my front tire was low. I had a nail in my tire. So, I had to go the nearest gas station, unload the children to go inside and get some Fix-A-Flat, put them back in the car, and then attempt to get that stuff into my tire (it was a very messy process – I’m sure I did something wrong, but I tried to follow the directions). Finally, I give up trying to get any more of the stuff into my tire. My hands, the tire, and part of my car had white foam all over. I’m running late for sound check. I get on the road again, and I’m so frustrated because of the inconvenience of the nail in the tire. The rest of the day followed the same pattern of “if it can go wrong, it will.” Monday morning my husband took my car to the garage that we always go to, and there we discovered that my front brakes were shot and it was pretty much a miracle that they hadn’t given out on me already. Additionally, all my tires were bald and needed replacing. Expensive? Yes. Necessary? Yes. So, after new front brakes, 4 new tires, and an alignment, my car is driving like a dream (it doesn’t even shake when I hit 70 mph!!!). After thinking about the last few days, I realized that if I hadn’t gotten that flat tire, I would never have had my car at the garage where they discovered my brake issue. I would have continued to drive around with my precious children in a car that could have lost control from brake failure and was incredibly badly aligned! That could have been tragic! So, while it was bad that I had a flat tire, God worked it for good because it allowed for the discovery of an even bigger (and potentially life-threatening) problem. Yeah God! I guess there is truth to that verse after all!
Do you ever wonder if God’s trying to tell you something? Like, no matter whose church you’re at, you always hear about the same subject? Maybe that’s just me, and tithing. We tithe. We believe it’s really important to tithe. And, oddly enough, the sermon at my in-laws’ church that we went to on Saturday was about tithing… but not about the amount. It was about attitude. Maybe that’s the point God’s trying to get home. Yeah, tithing is important, and I feel that 10% is equally important, but I know there are times when it’s more of an obligation, instead of a joy. And I don’t really believe God for His promises… so maybe my attitude needs adjusting. In the Old Testament, when people tithed, they had to recite a short rendition of what God had done for them by bring thing out of Egypt and through the wilderness. Perhaps when I tithe I should focus on and remember the things God’s done in my life. I whine sometimes that God does stuff for other people and not for me… but then I realize how richly blessed I am. Oh, I may not be blessed in the way I’m wanting (like financially so we can get out of debt), but I am very blessed in other ways (like having an incredible husband, and wonderful little boys who are relatively healthy, John and I both have jobs and working vehicles, etc.). So, my whining is invalidated. Oh, and one more thing that struck me, this time from our worship leader on Sunday (Carolyn Pancala who is INCREDIBLE!!!) – she said, don’t focus on the problem, focus on the problem-solver. In other words, GLORIFY the problem-solver, not the problem. Too often I focus so much on the problem, basically glorifying it and making it important. Really, I should be focusing on the One who can solve that problem and bringing Him glory instead! Perspective, I guess.