When I first decided to follow Christ I was in a state of constant euphoria. I floated on this seemingly unending spiritual high. God was constantly revealing Himself to me. I was all, “Hmmm I wonder why ___________?” and lo and behold, there my answer would be in my Bible, in a message at church, or out of the mouth of my friends. And this is where I found the joy, the bliss that made me want to sing (blog) at the top of my digital lungs. A friend of mine warned me in the beginning that my relationship with Christ would wax and wane, just as any worthwhile relationship tends to do. I didn’t believe her. I was downright offended. Things are different now.
The picture above is the PERFECT representation of what I’ve been learning recently. Life has thrown me a few downs. We’ll call those curve balls. God has thrown me some ups. We’ll call those blessings.
At the end of October I began a used car search that would yield both curve balls and blessings. I had faith that I would be blessed with a car nicer than my beat up ‘03 Mitsubishi Lancer, and in the recesses of my heart I hoped that God would let my new car just fall from the sky - without any damage of course!
It doesn’t work that way though. Believing something will happen by faith is a huge part of being a Christian, but as the Scriptures say, faith without works is dead. That particular scripture refers to combining your faith with charitable action, but I believe it also refers to how we be quick to put our faith to work period. You cannot just sit on your faith. I’ve tried. Didn’t work. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I never knew buying a car would be so stressful. I almost just bought a bike and called it a day.
I let my fear of overspending or picking the wrong car cripple the experience. I couldn’t find the car I wanted for the price I wanted, so I tried to compromise the make or the body style or the year, but no dice there either. I ran into car salesman after car salesman promising me a great deal, but when it came time to negotiate, none would budge to what I thought was a reasonable price.
To make a long story a little shorter, I did find my car. I had to stop blocking my blessing and just purchase what I wanted. It’s perfect for me, I got a decent deal, and I get a little (well a lot) giddy every time I see it in my parking space. In the midst of all that warm and fuzzy though, my apartment management notified us they will be tearing the complex down at the start of the year. We have to be out before then. This was a definite curve ball. This was nothing but a test. And friends: I pass tests every day. I decided then that I would come out of it with a new car and an awesome apartment - all to match my new, awesome outlook on life. It was pointed out to me, that as a believer, God wants “to do a new thing” in our lives. Apparently He’s got a reputation for elevating us to new levels faster than a Call of Duty addict (yes I went there).
I say all of that with this disclaimer: I still had a mini-meltdown even after I firmly decided that this battle was already won. For a minute there my situation was looking a little bleak. My car was on the verge of a breakdown and I was on the verge of homelessness. But then I had to remember that I am blessed in other areas - my job, my friends and family, my health. I’ve been given a new chance everyday to learn from my mistakes and to make a few more, and then to get it right. No matter how bleak life looks and no matter how horrible I feel, if I am still breathing then there is still the chance for my circumstance to turn around. No flatlines around here!
Riss
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