Second, my new French door is in the back bedroom wall, and last night was the first night we actually slept in the room with the door there. It was all fine and dandy until our eyes got adjusted to the darkness and we realized that there was a very full moon outside with no cloud cover. In other words, it was like a spotlight. Quite a different feel from the room we used to refer to as the "parent cave." We also realized that in wintertime when there are no leaves on the trees, we can see our neighbors' lights through the woods. Hopefully we don't live in a neighborhood with peeping Toms.
Then this morning, Ben got up at his usual dark hour, but I stayed in bed until daylight, which I think is the normal thing to do. I learned that daylight begins earlier than I thought, with a lovely, orangey-pinky glow in the eastern sky quite a bit earlier than I'm accustomed to. But it's the perfect excuse for staying in bed—I'm enjoying the sunrise, right?
So we all got up and got ready for church. Mike decided he was staying home so he wouldn't spread his cold (that's going to be important in just a moment). Elijah pulled the van up in the driveway and let it begin to warm up. We piled in and were on our way. Just a little way out of our subdivision (a mile from the house), Ben looked at the temperature gauge to see if we had heat yet. That's when panic set in. The temp was well above normal, and there wasn't the littlest bit of heat, never a good sign. So with the needle climbing, he turned around and we raced home before it got to the you're-going-to-do-irreparable-damage-to-this-motor zone.
The decision was made to switch to the Acura, since the Honda has leather seats and it was all of 2 degrees at that point. We all jumped from van to Acura and were on our way. About 2 miles from the house, we started to hear a loud noise from the back of the car. As we drove, it got louder and louder, until finally Ben realized it was the unmistakable sound of a tire riding on the rim. We pulled into the YMCA parking lot, found the spare, a jack, but no tire iron.
(This is where Mike staying home comes in handy.)
Got Mike on the phone, he came to rescue us, and we all went home for a third try. (When it's time to pay the car insurance bill, I hate having seven vehicles. Today, I was thrilled.) The girls and Elijah and I headed off to church in the Pontiac, Ben changed his clothes, and he and Mike went to change the tire on the Acura. Then Mike drove it home, and Ben drove Mike's car to church, showing up just in time for the first hymn, in greasy jeans and a sweatshirt. We heard a great message and enjoyed the saints. We were blessed.
So here's the bottom line:
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (I Peter 5:8)
It would have been very easy to give up and just stay home. It's incredibly cold and windy out. The vehicles are breaking left and right. It's discouraging. We're trying to save money for tuition rather than spending it all on cars. There are a million excuses.
But if you don't persevere for any other reason, do it so the devil doesn't win. Be vigilant. Get the blessing in spite of him.
Be thankful ~
Karen
No comments:
Post a Comment