Blessings

"Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him." Psalm 34:8

"Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God," Psalm 146:5

I experienced a full blessing from God the other day and I wanted to share it. Late on Monday afternoon, we decided to head towards Appleton to take care of some paperwork for Abigail's dance school. As we were headed out of town, I noticed the van was pulling pretty hard to the left, as though a wind were blowing us from the side. I wondered to myself how it was that Andy drove the van all over the Twin Cities with this tug going on, when something started feeling really wrong. I pulled over, and decided to turn around. Well, turning around ended up not being a possibility, as I had a flat tire. And of course, I am the last person on earth rolling around without a cell-phone. I had a flat tire once in my life and did learn how to change to a spare because of it, but I couldn't find a spare.

So the kids and I started walking. We walked up the road a little to find someone who was home, so we could borrow the phone and call our mechanic. The kids thought it was an adventure! They were exploring the countryside, pointing our bugs, and we ended up at a farm with animals all over, so the kids got to explore chickens and geese and roosters. I used the phone, the mechanic came and changed the tire, and then we followed him back to the shop so he could replace it. 24 hours later I have a van with four brand new tires, as the ones we had on were old and rotten. And while the whole thing could have been stressful and annoying and really weighing on me, it really wasn't. That was such a blessing!

Because the whole time I was dealing with the van, I was thinking about the awesome timing. We knew we needed new tires, and had planned on getting new ones installed this fall. But thank God a tire didn't burst while we were away for the weekend! Thank God it didn't decide to burst while on the interstate going 72 miles an hour! And thank God we weren't in the middle of nowhere, miles away from help, and subject to the whims and expensive of a crazy mechanic who doesn't know us and could charge whatever he wanted for a new tire. It was also a blessing to have the tire go flat on a trip that really didn't need to be made, or at a bad time. Just imagine if I had been rushing home from town in time to get Zander from preschool. Or if we were on our way to Abigail's dance class. Even though the flat tire was a nuisance, thank God it happened precisely when and where it did! Our mechanic dropped everything to come help us out on the highway, and he went above and beyond when putting on the new tires as well. The whole experience could have been awful, but instead, I've just been kind of praising God because of it.

Now we have all new tires on the van, ready to roll in the winter months ahead. Thank God they didn't decide to give out in the winter! When walking the kids to school or walking to the store would have been uncomfortable and freezing cold. Instead, the kids and I did a bit of walking for two days, but we got to enjoy warm temperatures, with the added bonus of the scents of fall in the air. As we walked to and from school, leaves were falling, and it just was perfect weather for walking around.

The whole time, from the moment I pulled over to the side of the road, to the moment last night when I picked up the van and we drove to dance class, I just felt so blessed and loved. I really felt the peace of God, and felt that He was with us and watching out for us, and that His angelic mechanics held that tire on while we were away this past weekend. I feel very lucky and very blessed, and this morning I am just so thankful for His provision and His timing. Taste and see, for the Lord IS GOOD!