Car Troubles

We have 2 vehicles at our house - "my" car (the one we use to drive everywhere) and Rick's truck, circa 1992. It's an old truck with rust holes in the sides but has been diligently maintained over the years and still gets across town and back. And my car is the one that breaks down this week - oh the irony.

I don't pretend to know anything about cars or how they work, but when you turn the key and nothing happens it is not a good thing. Which is exactly what happened on Wed night. We got the car home late Wed night and decided to wait until the next day to address the problem. I sacrificed 90 minutes of sleep the next morning so I could be driven to work early enough for Rick to be back to work on time. I thought the plan was to get the car fixed during the day and I would be happily greeted by my husband in the parking lot shortly after work.

Instead I sat at my desk over an hour after everyone else had gone home before the rusty old truck pulled in to the parking lot. I had been stuck at work for nearly 12 straight hours and the car still wasn't fixed. What had he been doing all day? I could have managed this much better, I thought. And I told him so, in not-so-kind words.

When we got home for the evening, I was physically and emotionally exhausted and went to bed, every little action reminding him I was still mad. It was not until after I had gone to bed that God began to work (more accurately it wasn't until then that I was willing to listen). I realized how much my negative attitude contributed toward the evening. I was so disappointed in my selfishness. I wrote him a quick note of apology and went to sleep, only to be awakened by my husband a couple hours later. He had been working on the car, gone to the auto parts store, bought the part and put it in. The car was working fine now, he said, so I could sleep in a little later since he didn't have to drive me to work in the morning.

It was the loving actions of my husband that taught me a lesson in humility, love, and forgiveness. I saw God in him this week - what a blessing!