What I Learned From a Dead Truck

My wife and I recently spent a couple nights on Ocracoke Island at the southern end of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. We were celebrating our wedding anniversary. What a great time we had together—two best friends and a Land Cruiser on the beach. Can life get any better than that? Ok, that is a guy’s perspective, but we did have a great time being together-alone-for the first time in far too long.

After our long weekend, we headed home only to have my trusty Land Cruiser die about 40 miles from home. Oh how quickly my basking in the blessings of God turned into some of the most eloquent whining and complaining you have ever heard. A text message to my daughter quickly got her out of physics class (just broke her heart don’t you know) and on the way to pick us up. I made the equivalent of a small down payment on a house to the tow truck company who delivered the Cruiser to my mechanic. He replaced the fuel pump and I was on my way the next day.

All is well, right? No! Guys, you know that nagging feeling you get when God is working something out in your life, and you just know He is not going to stop until the job is done? That is where I suddenly found myself. As if I was reading a book, I began to see what REALLY happened. My joy, my peace, my happiness, my contentment—all were so conditional. As long as life was good, as defined by me, I had a song in my heart and a praise on my lips. As soon as my plans were altered, and my schedule disrupted, my eternal joy suddenly proved to be anything but eternal.

Why is it we want so much to be men of the Spirit but find ourselves battling so hard with the flesh? Why can’t God just win this battle in us so we can go on being the Christian soldiers He has called us to be and not have to expend so much energy on these trivial things? Why? Because, they are not trivial! These are the events of life that show us how wonderful our God really is. How concerned he is with everything that touches us, our families, and our jobs. Guys, God is intimately involved in everything that touches your life and He is always for you and not against you.

When I stopped my whimpering and went back to praising, I began to see how the wonders of God had unfolded right before my eyes, but I was unwilling to see them. I was reminded that the afternoon before the truck quit we had it parked below the high tide line at low tide on the southernmost beach in the Outer Banks, and yes, the tide had started coming in. It broke down at a rest stop away from the heavy traffic on the road we were traveling. My wife made her appointment that afternoon with fifteen minutes to spare. Suddenly I could see nothing that went wrong in this whole event. Things only went right, just as God had planned them. Men, let’s purpose to see all of life’s circumstances through the lens of God’s constant care and providence. If we do, we will stop majoring on the minors that rob our peace.   

Most Recent Posts by Mike Hartsfield

• Heroes Do Not Apply! - June 2nd, 2009
• Why Am I Illogically Irrational? - May 26th, 2009
• I Don’t Know Why I Am Afraid! - May 19th, 2009
• Is That What I Said? - April 14th, 2009
• I Mean What I Do, Not What I Say - March 31st, 2009
• Hold On To The Boat - March 17th, 2009