Trials with a Transmission

About a week ago, while Amy and the girls were driving, our Ford Explorer's transmission decided to blow up. (I think this is why mechanics have affectionately renamed Explorers as "Exploders.") When the car began making a loud noise Alora said, "Oh gracious mom! That noise scared me!" Thankfully, Alora's comment kept Amy from breaking down in tears. Thankfully, Amy's friend Kelly was driving behind them when it happened, so she was able to take them home.

While this grand event was taking place I was enjoying lunch with my friend Daniel. So, when I came home you can imagine how surprised I was to find out that our (supposedly) best vehicle was out of commission. It was at this point that a few of my faithful foes--complaint, worry, anxiety, and frustration--decided to pay me a visit. Thankfully, a few of my friends--faith, grace, and hope--were around to help me throw those enemies off of my property.

But this isn't the end of the story.

When we found out that it was going to cost us over $1700 to fix the car, we felt overwhelmed. Just a couple of months before this time, Amy and I had spent almost $2000 for Amy to get a root canal. So, we knew that we didn't have enought money to cover the cost of the repairs. But Amy and I knew who we could turn to: our God! So, we did the only thing that we knew to do: pray and ask others to do the same.

On the next day, I recieved a call from Patrick (the pastor at Redeemer), and he told me that someone in the church had donated the money to pay for our car to be fixed. I was floored! Once again, God showed His provision for our family. We didn't have to pay a dime! (We barely had a dime anyway.)

I write all of this in hopes that some of you will be encouraged as you see various trials come into your life. Remember: Trust in the Lord because He is always faithful. The many trials that He places in our lives are not purposeless; rather, they are given so that our faith will be tested and strengthened. James reminds us of this when he writes, "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (1:2-4).