A "Tired" Lesson

Last month my sister in Kentucky let me know she had plans to visit our brother in West Virginia at the end of the month.  She wanted me to come too.  We try to get together for a few days every summer, and this was our chance!  So I started making plans to go.

Larry had a look at my tires and suggested I get some new ones on the front before my trip.  You know—safety and all that.  So I got new tires on Monday, June 25.  On Wednesday, June 27, I set out for West Virginia.  I have to tell you, it was a lovely trip.  Every time I head into the mountains, I am struck by their beauty.  What passes for mountains around here just doesn’t quite measure up to those vast expanses of green with no houses marring their tops.  I went through the big tunnels on I-77 and got onto the WV turnpike.  (There are a lot of jokes about the turnpike, but we’ll skip them for now.)   

I was sailing blithely along, enjoying the drive, when I heard an unusual noise at my window.  Since I didn’t see anything alarming, and the temperature gauge was ok, I kept moving.  When I got to my brother’s house, over an hour—and many miles—later, I was astonished to see a huge bubble on one of my front tires—one of my new front tires. 

 I found a local business that had the tire I needed, and the next day my brother took time off work to follow me in his car in case I had a blowout. On the way to meet him, I had to go over some winding, mountainous roads.  It could have been a scary drive---ok, I’ll be honest:  It was a scary drive. 

I have been doing the Wednesday evening Bible study called “When Life is Hard.”  We’ve been studying about trials and about looking for what God might be teaching us in difficult times.  I don’t know when I’ve been in a position to trust God for safety in a more real way than I was in that drive to get my tire replaced.  The awareness that the tire could blow at any moment was almost paralyzing.  I just kept remembering God’s goodness and faithfulness.  I’m not exaggerating when I tell you I prayed all the way. Even after I picked up my sister-in-law to ride along with me, I kept recounting how I was trusting God to get me there.

The men at the tire place were great! I love doing business in little towns.  They joked with me and pretended they were going to charge extra for the tire, but when one of them rolled the defective tire into the room where I was waiting, he was completely serious.  “You are very lucky you got here.”  “Don’t you think God was with her?” said my sister-in-law. 

This is not the first time I’ve had car troubles when traveling alone. I believe I have learned—again—that I can trust God in any situation. I do realize that he, not a new set of tires, is my source of safety.  I pray I don’t have another such lesson any time soon, but if I do, I have this experience to give me faith and courage.

--Sherry Poff