My last blog told of our endless car troubles. Well, not much has improved in that area. We had the head gasket and the coolant system repaired in the van and it worked great for a few weeks. Then on Monday, it would not crank at all! Well, I was beginning to find myself in a cloud of sort because it seemed like so many little things were happening the past few years that I began to feel like I was carrying a load that I couldn't bear anymore.
November 2007 found Charles laid off due to his company closing down completely. Then in March 2009, he was laid off from his new job due to the economy and lack of work. So basically, we used our great Dave Ramsey emergency fund, began to rebuild it with the new job... only to be jobless in less than a year and a half. God blessed him with a job that he absolutely loves in April and we again tried to catch up and save a little only to have car troubles and "life" happen in what seemed like record speed!
Needless to say, my prayers have consisted of requests, petitions, pleas, etc, etc. On Monday of this week... after dropping cupcakes all over the floor on the way to take them to Andrew's school for his birthday AND finding out that my van was not going to start, I felt like sitting in the parking lot next to my van and crying. I got home and went into my office to pray and bring my requests once again to what seemed like a silent God. Instead, I started to list all that was good and all that I had for which to be thankful. I started with the usual of salvation, family, health... then I began to think about how grateful I really am for those things/people that I take for granted. Not only has God blessed me with a husband who is a perfect example of what God meant when He said to "love your wife even as God loved the church", he is strong and healthy and employed :) The same goes for my children who are loving, giving, obedient (most of the time), healthy... As I began to really thank him for the health, closeness and love of all of my family and friends, tears began to stream. Then I thought of things that I rarely think of - like eyes to see His creation, breath to praise Him, hands to serve Him. I was so amazed at how many things kept coming to my mind like a home that gives us shelter, the fact that my mom has a spare car that we've been able to use, my awesome parents who live next to us, my incredible sister who has been closer than any friend could be... The list goes on... so, yes. we still have car troubles. We still don't have the money to fix them but God is God. He may seem silent but in His times of silence, I ask and pray that He reveals what it is that I need to learn and how I can grow during this time as I wait on Him.
