Edward our French Alpine Goat waiting to be fed this morning

We watched as our only working vehicle hoisted onto the back of the tow truck. I stood by the side of the road while Dale ministered to the driver. He was a kind man, he asked if we needed a ride, we just smiled and shook our heads, no. We were an hour from home.

We walked to a nearby grocery store and sat at their outdoor tables. We looked at each other. We had no car to drive home, who would have thought? While we sat carless, I sent out a request on Facebook to see if anyone had a spare car that we could borrow.

We wanted to be wise with our money so we choose the cheapest place ever to fix the car. Week after week passed and the car wasn’t finished. That’s what happens when you choose cheap labor, they get backed up. Weeks later we got a call, no it wasn’t ready. They said we needed to come and cover our car because there was a leak. I was perplexed, what leak?

We drove into the parking lot. I looked over at our long lost car, and was shocked! My mouth dropped open! What in the world?! A little leak?!?! Three of the four windows were gone or broken! I couldn’t wrap my head around it. Dale didn’t seem too bothered, I was. It was vandalism and the shop didn’t have insurance to cover it! How? What? Why? No! This is not right! Were my screaming thoughts!

Our insurance deductible was higher than the windows. So we ordered the windows and paid for them ourselves, of course. Now by the time you factor these windows into the equation it is no longer a cheap place to fix your car (no, we won’t be going back).

The guys from the glass shop called. They said they’d never had this happen, but each window that they ordered for us, broke! The holiday’s seemed to delay everything, more.

We finally got our car back yesterday!

When I think about all the deaths of our sisters and brothers in Sudan this past week or all those suffering the effects of cancer and disease or families devastated by divorce, my little car situation is nothing—Absolutely nothing on the richter scale!

Problems affect all of us at one time or another. The secret to getting through them successfully is to put them in proper perspective.

When a trial comes, confront it with truth and you will be triumphant.

The Trial, Truth and the Triumph- Remedy

1. Pray and believe that you will be triumphant. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”And Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us. ”Declare these truths with determination and confidence as you petition the Lord!
2. Quickly access your dilemma. Is it life threatening physically or spiritually? If the answer is no, then take a deep breath and say, thank you Lord. You can do this, even if it’s brutal! If it is life threatening you can do it to- it’ll take more prayer!
3. Focus on one problem at a time. Example: Our daughter was scheduled to have her tonsils out in the same time period. We got a call from the hospital on the same day that the glass company called to say the windows kept coming in broken. The hospital said that our insurance company had decided 4 days before surgery that her tonsils were a preexisting condition and would not cover the procedure even though it had been previously approved. I decided to not focus on that issue, instead I asked my friends to pray. We still haven’t gotten the bill to know the end of the story.
4. Ask for help. Do you know what gets in the way of us asking for help? Pride. “His pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God.” 2 Chronicles 26:16 We need to ask God for help and help from others when we have needs. It’s humbling to ask for help depending on what kind of help you need. If you can’t ask, pride is in the way and God hates pride.
5. Read the Word. Dale and I almost always have a Bible on hand. In any situation we are facing, we read it- right then and there. By the side of the road, in the hospital, while we’re waiting. . . Holy Spirit ALWAYS gives hope and answers through His Word. The more problems we have, the more we need it. At this very moment Dale is in excruciating pain with a kidney stone that won’t pass. We’re reading the Word constantly, it’s the best medicine we have!