“Our God is sovereign. That means there’s no such thing as luck. Anything that happens to you, good or bad, must pass through His fingers first. There are no accidents with God. I like the story of the cowboy who applied for health insurance. The agent routinely asked him, ‘Have you ever had any accidents?’ The cowboy replied, ‘Well no, I’ve not had any accidents. I was bitten by a rattlesnake once, and a horse did kick me in the ribs. That laid me up for a while, but I haven’t had any accidents.’ The agent said, ‘Wait a minute. I’m confused. A rattlesnake bit you, and a horse kicked you, Weren’t those accidents?’ ‘No, they did that on purpose.”
― Tony Evans, Our God is Awesome: Encountering the Greatness of Our God
Oh, the stories I have to share, my friends.
Nearly two weeks ago, Michael and I headed out with the dogs to visit friends in Colorado. The RV was packed to the brim–we were all ready for a few days away from the heat of Texas.
Just outside of Lubbock we blew a tire on the RV. Shreds of our tire joined the many other shards already littering the side of the road.
I’ve always wondered what it’d be like to blow a tire–now I know–lesson learned.
All-in-all, things went well. The blown tire was on the curb side of the RV, meaning Michael was not right next to the highway as he struggled to assess damage and change the tire. Our three dogs handled it well, moving as asked to the front seat of the truck when Michael needed to get under the seat they were secured to in order to access the heavy-duty jack. The spare tire was in excellent shape, the jack worked, and every vehicle passing us never seriously compromised our safety.
As with any scary situation, it feels better if you walk away feeling you learned something from that experience.
Here’s what I learned from this segment of our trip.
- Before hitting the road, make sure everyone knows where your emergency equipment is located. If it’s not easily accessible, move it so it is.
- Review how to put things like jacks together before hand so repairs go faster.
- Pack water and snacks for all–be sure to include something your dogs can use as a water bowl.
- Have alternate RV spots to spend the night in case you are delayed.
- Lastly, and most importantly, never ever text and drive. As I stood watching for anyone not paying attention in the steady line of traffic coming our way at speeds around 75-80 mph, I prayed each and every driver was paying attention. Stay alert, giving those working on the side of the road all the space you can as you pass.
Thank God for cell phones and internet. By doing a quick search, we were able to get to Discount Tire in Lubbock before they closed. Even though they were busy, in a matter of hours, they had four new tires in place and we were back on the road.
As I sat and waited in Lubbock, I thanked God no one was injured. I thanked God our GMC truck kept the trailer in control and the damage to the trailer minimal. We’re fortunate Michael and I have been traveling together by RV for many years. We’ve learned each others strong points and work well together getting whatever needs to be done. I’m not saying it’s always pretty–but we get ‘er done!
What surprised me the most was how our dogs settled in and acted as if this was just another day. They sat quietly beside me, watching people and cars come and go as I tried to pre-determine what person went with what car. I learned I am not good at that game but it certainly entertained me! Even Mother Nature stepped up her game–the dark rain clouds building all around us held off until we were well down the road.
“Gratitude means thankfulness, counting your blessings, noticing simple pleasures, and acknowledging everything that you receive. It means learning to live your life as if everything were a miracle, and being aware on a continuous basis of how much you’ve been given.” ~ Marelisa Fábrega
I am…
B…simply being…
God bless.
~Peace~
B...simply being... 