Nearsighted People Are Better Friends

I wear glasses; well, I do when I have to. Actually, I'm supposed to wear them all the time. But I am able to see what I need to get by in my home. When someone is curious about my eyesight, they often ask, "Are you near or farsighted? I always have to pause for a minute and think about that....let's see, it's opposite of the words. I can see clearly when things are near so, then I can answer, "I'm farsighted."

These past few weeks have been troublesome to me. The earpiece on my glasses came apart. The soldering failed to hold it together. Now I didn't purchase these locally, so it has been a service nightmare. We'll save that story for another time, perhaps. I could not drive since I can't see far away and I have depth perception issues. I finally found that jewelers actually can fix these things. I got them fixed and returned to a normal lifestyle this week. :-)

This along with my devotions in Ephesians got me to pondering this morning and I've decided that nearsighted people are better friends.

If you can see far away, you can go places alone or bring someone with you. If you can't see far away, you have to get a nearsighted friend to help you. If your friend is farsighted and has the same deficiencies that you do with eyesight, then you'll not be able to venture very far from where you are, unless of course, they have eyeglasses.

While I had this issue with my glasses, I complained a lot. Yes, I did. I had to ask people to come closer. I couldn't drive and had to wait for someone to take me places. I had to move the computer closer to me so I could work. My eyes got tired more easily and I was irritable more often. The immediate things overshadowed and drowned opportunities that I might have had.

I find that's true in my spiritual life as well. Paul tells us in Ephesians that we need to put on the armor of God daily. Why? Because if we don't we're farsighted and not a very good friend to have. We lack the things that would give us power, strength, peace and faith. Without these things, we will not be able to stand strong. We'll be complainers and doubters. We won't be able to do anything on our own. We'll need others to prop us up and drive us places. We might even have unintentional failures where we could have succeeded if we'd only put on our glasses, our spiritual armor.

Nearsighted people are more like Christ. They don't ignore the immediate, but they balance it by what they see in the future. They see the opportunities in things, not the overwhelming hard work that must be done today to get there. They see the good in the person that's currently contentious because they don't understand; they see this persons need for knowledge and they take the time to instruct them knowing that they will become the next Sunday School teacher with enthusiasm and impact.

You see, nearsighted people are better friends. They put their glasses on daily. They might have to take them off for a moment and clean them from all the mud that was kicked up in their face, but when they put those glasses back on, they keep looking ahead and pursuing the prize that is set before them. Why? Because they put on their armor every day.

I'll let the Word of God have the last say. Ephesians 6:10-18 in The Message Version:

"And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.

Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each others spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out."

I don't know about you, but I'm putting my glasses on this morning. I want to be a nearsighted friend of God today!

Leave me alone! I like being Blind, ok?

I have the day off so I take my cup of coffee and my book out to the deck to enjoy the morning. It's 72 degrees, partly cloudy and a great morning to relax on the deck. This is something very rare and precious to me. Great laziness overcomes me and I lay my book aside, adjust the deck chair to the recline position, lay back and close my eyes.

What a joy to hear the sounds that surround me; lawns being mowed, the birds are chirping away and the dog is in the deck chair beside me enjoying the day. I smell the broasted chicken being cooked at the deli of the store just a few houses away and my mouth is watering. Wind begins to blow through the leaves and it's like music to my ears. Relaxation is about to totally overcome me and the pondering begins.

Blindness. What a terrible handicap. As I lie here identifying all the things I hear, I can also see it in my mind. What if I had never seen a lawn being mowed, would I recognize the sound? If I'd never ate broasted chicken from the deli, would I recognize the smell; would my mouth water at the thought of it? No. Someone would have to describe them as best they could so that I would know what they were. Better yet, I'd have to experience them myself to get the fullest understanding so I'd recognize them the next time.

Over the years my eyesight has deteriorated. I've had to purchase eyeglasses with progressive lenses to see more clearly. I really don't like glasses. However the alternative is not acceptable either. Sometimes I'll delay putting on my glasses for a while. It's fine while I am working around the house. But when I try to look across the street or I have to drive to the store, the glasses have to be put on in order to see more clearly and eliminate the distortion. As much as I hate them, they are essential to my ability to see more than a few feet around me.

My heart asks me a question....what about spiritual blindness? As I think of this question I am struck by the thoughts that rush through me. Do I see the things I should? Can I identify the sounds I hear around me? Have I experienced the things that I should so I can identify them when my eyes are closed? Do I hear the wind blowing through my world? Do I hear the beautiful sounds of birds chirping and smell the things God is preparing for us? Does my mouth water in anticipation of the next service I will participate in or the next message that will be served up in my hearing? Do I need eyeglasses? If so, have I gone for that examination to see exactly what it is I need? Have I asked the right questions of the Savior so that I understand what my needs are?

Honestly, I want to balk at these thoughts. I even want to say leave me alone! I like being blind, ok? I know what to expect of myself and my environment just the way it is. I know where the furniture is and I know what's expected of me in my current environment. I have disappointments and there are things that I wish were different, but hey, I'm good! Leave me alone! At least I know what to expect, right? Some things will never change. Acceptance is my friend, right? Better to just leave things alone as they are. Like I said, I like being blind!

But there are two songs that just play over and over in my mind and I can't get block them out. Open the Eyes of my Heart and If We are the Body. As I let myself hear these songs clearly in my mind, my throat is constricting with the unspoken longing from deep inside. I know that if I give into this and talk to the Master optometrist of the soul, I'll have to submit to the examination of my eyes and he'll examine my heart and point out the things that I need to work on.

What will it cost me to remain as I am? Who will be impacted by my blindness? Why am I even questioning these things? There are two spirits raging inside me. Which one will win?

Someone once said, the winner is the one you feed.....................pondering continues...............

The Predictability of Storms – Storms-Part Two

My company wrote us an email and reminded us of all the precautions we should take during this “storm season” and procedures to be followed in case one of these storms causes extensive or catastrophic damage. That got my “pondering” juices flowing……

Storms are predictable. My grandfather worked as a foreman on several ranches in the California San Joaquin Valley. He could smell the rain coming. He could feel that the temperatures were going to drop and he’d be up all night tending to the orchards and keeping the smudge pots going. He could read the signs of the physical elements around him and know what type of day or night it would be.

My grandfather used his powers of prediction and amazed me and my cousins one day. When my cousins would come to stay with us in the summer, my mother always sent us out to play. This particular time it was a very, VERY dry California summer. We needed rain badly and we’d heard my parents and grandparents talking of this off and on for several days. I’m not sure why my grandfather stopped by that afternoon, but he did.

As he was leaving he told us that he could make it rain. Of course, that got our attention. We knew he could not make rain; only God could do that and we told him so. He kept up this back and forth conversation regarding his powers for a bit. He then told us he could show us this old Indian Rain Dance he knew and prove that he could make it rain. So, he did.

We lived in the country and we burned our trash in an old barrel outside. Grandpa walked over to that barrel and started to chant and dance around it. This went on for a little bit and he got us to join him and dance around that old barrel. We had the greatest fun. But inside we knew it was not going to rain but our grandpa was acting silly and we enjoyed every minute of it. Ah, but it did rain. That night there was what I heard my family refer to as a “gully washer”. That next day, the powers of our grandfather were forever stamped in our minds.

Now we are much more sophisticated. Technology has given many people the power to predict the weather patterns and storms. Through these advancements, many lives have been saved and damage minimized or sometimes even avoided because we are aware of the coming storms. Matter of fact, we also know the type of storms coming; there are seasons and patterns.

That brings me to the point of my pondering. It’s the same in our lives. Storms are predictable. Storms have seasons and patterns. Since we know this is true, then we can prepare for and minimize the damage they may bring.

We learn to prepare for storms and problems by the examples around us; parents, family, friends and acquaintances. All play a part in molding our ability to weather the storms of life. The wisdom and knowledge of those around us is a key contributor to how we handle the storm season.

Let me give you a couple examples from my life.

I’ll call this one the “Season of the Young Mother”. When I was a young mother, I thought that having children would totally complete me and I would reach that pinnacle of fulfillment and find the happiness I’d imagined. It wasn’t all I imagined it to be. Hiding in the closet with a flashlight to eat a candy bar and read a book wasn’t what I thought I’d be doing.

I never expected to resent those children. I never expected to be so angry with my husband for not being home during the day and I wanted to leave it all to him when he got home; see how he would deal with it. These things left me feeling like something was terribly wrong with me. I must not be a very good mom. Matter of fact, I must be a really selfish person to resent these little people and the man I had once loved more than anything else.

I did not know that this season of life was like all others; storms occur to help us change. That’s right. This storm was there to help me awaken to the fact that a new dimension of life was opened up. It was no longer about me and my husband and our life together. This season was about focusing on others. My value had just been increased. I needed to adjust my sails so I wouldn’t ship wreck.

I had to adjust to this new season. I had to find others who’d been through this before to help me understand that my life as a mother was the most important job I had. I had to learn to value this role and learn that my frustrations were natural and my feelings were normal. I found others who’d successfully weathered this season and learned to take time for myself when I could. I learned to quit trying to be superwoman, doing it all, to being supermom; setting right and Godly priorities.

How do you prepare for the storms in your life? What have you found that brings the peace and stability to weather the storm? What storm seasons have you weathered?

I’d love to hear from you. You can comment on this post, or you can write me at pvs1960@gmail.com.

My next post will be Storms-Part Three – The Power of the Storm

Taming the Storm - Part One

I think I was in the sixth grade when we had an illustrated lesson on storms. The teacher had a teapot that was clear. He filled about one-third of the pot with water and placed it over a Bunsen burner to heat. Soon the steam began to build up to the point that it whirled and swirled; faster and faster the hotter it grew. Finally, it was too much to contain in the teapot and began to whistle noisily through the small hole in the cap.

It was an incredible show; small whips of mist built up into very noticeable white steam. Swirls that changed and moved faster and faster the hotter the temperature was. Oh yes, I almost forgot the point he was making. There was a thermometer there. As the temperature of the water rose the steam was more noticeable and it moved faster.

This morning as I was having my devotions, I remembered one thing very clearly - the water was pretty calm throughout most of the experiment. The teacher did mention this, but we really didn’t focus on that. Little water bubbles formed and would move to the top of the surface and escape. The hotter the temperature of the water, the more little bubbles formed and escaped. When the temperature reached the boiling point, that’s when the water erupted into roiling waves.

Today, as I remember this illustrated lesson, I am struck again by how great God is. Jesus’ teachings in the Bible used nature and physical things to teach us spiritual lessons. How did he know so much? He wasn’t very old; he started his public ministry when he was 30. How could he except that he was God. He understood natural science and physiology because he was the Creator of all things.

How many times have you been reminded of this? How many lessons from your early years do you recall that now turns the light of understanding on in your life? Do you see God differently now?

Storms are inevitable. Matter of fact, storms are necessary to the maturity of all living things; including human beings. Storms clean the air and water and encourage growth.

How is your journey so far? Are you praying for a storm-free life? Or are you learning and growing from them? I challenge you to look back at the storms you’ve come through. Can you see the growth experienced because of the storm?

I’m hoping you’ll take some time to share your thoughts with me.

Let's Get Naked!

There’s nothing like having way too many clothes on. Not only is it hard to move around, but you can get overheated as well. When getting ready to go backpacking in cold weather, I’ve heard the park rangers caution everyone not to overdress. Sweating underneath too many clothes can be as dangerous as not having enough clothing on.

When I was a younger girl, clothing was of some significance in our Western culture. Girls who were pure when they married wore white wedding dresses. If you were going to church, you wore the very best clothing you had and women NEVER wore pants. We did not have ‘dress-down’ Friday’s at work. Women had to wear nylons at work. Men had to wear suit coats. Easter was the first time you could wear white shoes; you never wore white shoes after Memorial Day weekend. If you were going to a funeral, you never wore any bright clothing; it was navy blue, dark brown or black.

There are many references to clothing in the Bible. Clothing was a tool used to identify a person’s position, culture, religion or status in life. Sackcloth was used as a sign of mourning or deep repentance. One phrase I see a lot is they “rent their clothing”. Often it is used to demonstrate a person’s emotion when they were overcome with grief, shame or humiliation.

Clothing can cover a lot of things. If you’re too thin, wear stripes that are broad and run horizontal to the ground. If you’re on the heavier side and want to wear stripes, wear clothing with stripes that are thinner and run vertical to the ground. If you are broad in the shoulders and want to appear smaller, wear v-necklines. If you are too thin in the shoulders, wear square necklines. These are illusions. You’re still too thin or heavy, yet the clothing helps to emphasize or disguise the facts.

The lack of clothing uncovers a lot of things. I know I don’t have to describe this statement because each and everyone of you reading this right now have some mental images playing around in your mind.

Just as clothing can cover and/or disguise things, so can our actions. Our actions can cover and disguise who and what we are.

Have you ever told someone that you knew what they were getting for their birthday for that special someone because you helped to pick it out? Then that someone begged and coerced you into telling them what it was? You cave into their persuasive powers and spill the beans. You tell them because you know that they can be trusted and you make them promise that they will act like they don’t know and BE surprised? Oh my word!! Can YOU even do that? Be serious! That is NEVER going to be possible. Guess who will never help someone buy a birthday gift again? YOU!! Actions are hard to fake, but some of us have mastered the craft.

Jesus exposed some people who had superior talents in this area. In Matthew 23 he talks about the Pharisees. Jesus told his followers that the Pharisees works were being done so people would see them; their beautiful prayer shawls and the borders of their garments were super-sized. (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+23&version=KJV) He goes on through this chapter to uncover their lies and hypocrisy.

I love how the Message version of the Bible translates the 23^rd and 24^th verses. “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get, but on the meat of God’s Law, things like fairness and compassion and commitment – the absolute basics!—you carelessly take it or leave it. Careful bookkeeping is commendable, but the basics are required. Do you have any idea how silly you look, writing a life story that’s wrong from start to finish, nitpicking over commas and semicolons?”

After carefully considering this chapter in Matthew, I’ve decided I want to get naked! Naked before God and the world! I don’t want what I wear or what I say to define who I am. I want my actions to reflect Christ within the hope of the world. I want them to know me because I love you and everyone else I come into contact with. (John 13:35)

The model we should be following for ministry is Jesus Christ. His model?

1) He ministered to the men who he shared all areas of his life.

2) He had an attitude and demonstration of servanthood to all!

3) He had a comprehensive command of relational love.

You cannot share all areas of your life if you’re not naked; transparent. If you put on all that fancy stuff and use those Harvard terms when talking to others and can’t get down to the 6^th grade level of communication, then you’re going to have a hard time with being a servant. If you don’t understand people from all walks of life and welcome discussions and interactions with them on a personal level, don’t you be expecting to win them to Christ.

I want to be honest, pure, holy, righteous and full of compassion and love as Jesus was. I want to win my world, those people I work and live with, to Jesus Christ. And I’m asking myself this question, how much do I want it? Do I want it enough to get naked?

If not now, when?

I've passed by our air purifier many times over the last couple of weeks, maybe even longer but I'm not going to admit it to anyone. There's a message displayed screaming at me to clean it. I'm not sure why I don't like cleaning that machine. It's really quite simple. Yet, I still don't clean it. I must have told myself a dozen times if I've said it once, just do it. And still I procrastinate.

Last night when we arrived back home from church service, I decide to clean the air purifier. I pulled all the parts out, washed them, soaked the piece that should be soaked, rinsed all the pieces off and set them on the counter to dry overnight. I got up today and put it all back together. Guess what? The lamp needs replacing. Of course, this got me to pondering................

There are so many things that I've put off in life; to another day, another hour, another what? Why? Some of these things are important, some of them are not, but they are things that should be done. Will it stop the world from spinning? No. Will it cause another person harm? No. But they are things that should be done; you know maintenance things. Things that run more smoothly once they are clean, oiled, swept or used.

Some things I've put off actually make life better. So why do I put these things off? Simply put, because they take discipline. Please don't judge me on this. I have talked to enough of my friends to know we are all the same. So I take a certain liberty with this knowledge. I actually excuse my procrastination because we all deserve a break today.

But the days are adding up. Now it's been weeks and even months in some cases. And just like the air purifier, it's harder now to clean because there's more dirt there than ever before. Some parts of that machine I had to take apart where I don't normally have to do that. And guess what? The lamp now has to be replaced. Oh, I know, that would have eventually needed to be replaced due to the hours of usage. However, I'll never really know if I could have gotten more use out of it if I'd simply performed the maintenance the first time I saw the warning message.

The big question becomes then, if not now, when? If today is not convenient, when is the right time?

In Matthew 8:19-22, Jesus met a man who made a statement "I'll go wherever you go." When Jesus asked him if he was ready to rough it, the man made a legitimate excuse, "I need to go bury my father." Jesus was really tough on this guy in his reply. I've often pondered why Jesus would minimize the impact of the father's death and funeral ritual. He basically told him, he's dead, move on.

Now Jesus wasn't setting an example telling us funerals weren't important or that ones parents death should not be mourned. I know that this is not true because you cannot take one scripture and make a sermon. Many times Jesus not only mourned the death of friends, but he interrupted things to bring them back to life. So that's not the point.

The point is that Jesus saw the man's statement for what it was. He was all show. I'll go wherever you go Jesus. But in his heart the commitment just wasn't there. He was making an excuse for those that were there listening to the exchange. He really didn't want to rough it with the Lord. How do I know that? Because Jesus let him know they weren't staying at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. They didn't even get pillows on their beds. When the man heard this he began making an excuse.

I like to think that the man would have gone home, made the funeral arrangements, attend it and then would have caught up with Jesus. But sadly, if I take my life as an example, more than likely it would not have happened. The impact of that moment where commitment was my intent, when sidetracked by an excuse, impact is lost and I never regain that sense of commitment I once had. At best I struggle and the end result of that labor is not what I thought it would be and some of the joy is gone because I have to work much harder at it.

Oh, before I forget to mention it, I want to talk about the light thing. I'm not sure what the light function is really about in the air purifier, but I know enough about design that it's got a purpose and the full benefits of the purifier will never be received until the lamp is replaced. With that being said, those things we're putting off, they are important too. We'll never be who we are truly meant to be or can be until we do them. Our inner light is never greater nor more brilliant than when we are clean and shining like we were designed to.

I don't know what your excuses have been. I don't know what it is that you've been procrastinating about. If you are truly honest with yourself, I'd say 80% of us know exactly what needs to be done. Whether it's physical or spiritual, you know. You've just been putting it off. Don't be like Felix with Paul when he said "That's enough for today. I'll call you back when it's more convenient." (Acts 24:25 Message)

So now the question remains. If not now, when?

More than Enough!

I'm driving Ryan to the train station today enjoying a moment of time talking about what's happening in his world. I drop him off and begin the return trip. I look at the odometer and there's a message that also displays the miles left before your tank is empty. The display shows "41 miles to E".

Perfect, I think! It's 32 miles one way so when I arrive in Belvidere, I'll get gas. I merge onto I90 and start listening to the morning talk show host sharing the latest world news.

The sun is reflecting brightly off the fresh snow and once again I am reminded of how beautiful Illinois is. The news fades into the background as I let the blessings of my life wash over me and gratefulness fills my heart. I feel so full of joy and it seems as though I'll never be able fit one more blessing inside.

Then my emotions make a tremendous heart wrenching dive as I glance at that odometer again. WHAT? they scream!!! Only 15 miles of gas left in the tank! That can't be. I am just now approaching the Marengo exit and I've passed the last exit possible to leave the interstate. No way! Something is wrong!!

Now there is choking fear! What to do? I know, my husband who is at home and getting ready to take Vanessa to school, he needs to know about this. Right. You know how that goes. It was something like this.

"Hi, I'm just passing through the Marengo exit and the car ways I have 15 miles of gas left in the gas tank."

"Ok. How fast are you going?"

"I'm only driving 70."

"Well, slow down to 60. You'll get more miles that way."

"Ok. We'll see how this goes. I love you."

"Bye."

At this point, my heart is beating so fast I hear it. I feel like I'm choking and I am breathing in short gasps, trying to think my way out of this. You can't think your way out of running out of gas on I90 in 11 degree weather. Facts are facts, you are going to run out of gas. It's just a matter of when. Make the best of it, Seibold!

So now I start praying. God, please, don't let me run out of gas. I've never run out of gas before Lord and today's not the day I wanted to have this experience. (breathe, gasp) Really Lord, please, I'm serious. I need you to help me out of this. I don't have blankets. I can't be stranded.

Ok, get your mind off of this situation. Turn up the radio loud. NO! Don't look at the odometer. You talked to God about. Either he'll deliver you or he won't. Turn up the radio louder. Not working.

I've never felt doubt, fear and a desire to believe in a miracle fight so hard to dominate one another. I truly am breathing in tiny gasps talking to myself in my head.

Then, I hear Bro. Jason's Sciscoe's message from last night. It's just the memory I need to remind me that I've GOT to have faith. It's time I start using what I have. Now's the time to believe. So now God's talking to me overtime.

Pharaohs army is pounding out a staccato that's equal to the fear in a mother's heart. Her escape from slavery was so short lived it's as though it was just a dream. This can't be happening to her and her family. The Red Sea is impassable! They'll never make it across before this army catches up to them.

The woman with the cruise of oil and a little flour is standing at the cabinet mixing well, getting ready to put the her last meal in the oven. The prophet interrupts her and requests that meal for himself. Fear engulfs her mind and she must make a life changing decision. Feed the prophet and trust his word that she'll never go without food or tell him to get lost.

Ok, so I'm over-reacting. My situation is not life-threatening but to me at that very moment it is my deepest fear. It is my doubt. It is my impossible situation. It it personal, folks! At that moment, I look at my odometer again. "4 miles to E." I am at Anthony Road. No way am I making it to Belvidere without running out of gas.

Right there and then I decided if I run out of gas, then I run out of gas, but I am not, NOT, going to get upset. If, on the other hand, God decides to answer my cry for help, then WOW what a story! So I decide to do what all good Christians everywhere do. Believe, right?

No! FIGHT!! Battle it out between my two ears!! Believe for the incredible? Accept the physical facts? Believe for the incredible? Accept the physical facts and make the best of a bad situation?

I chose to believe! I decide to start praising!! That's how to fight fear, doubt, worry, and physical facts. It starts in my mind. Thank you Lord for providing for our every need. Thank you Lord of caring about me just like I care about my children. (gasp, doubt,choke) Louder....in my mind......Lord you are the God of the Old Testament. Jesus, you are the Savior of the world! (glance at the odometer) YIKES!! Oh my Word!!! "1 mile to E" Car's running fine.

Ok, be reasonable! Get real! I start looking for the mile marker so I can tell the emergency road side service people where to find me. Then a total righteous rebellion of the mind occurs. I AM NOT RUNNING OUT OF GAS. I REFUSE TO RUN OUT OF GAS. IF GOD CAN DO ANYTHING, HE CAN DO THIS FOR ME. NOTHING IS TOO HARD FOR GOD!

Now I'm praising God out loud! I'm thanking him for everything in sight. The snow because there will be plenty of water this summer. The sun for shining and providing light and vitamin D. Yeah, vitamin D will help me lose weight and increase my wellness percentage.

And all of a sudden fear and doubt turns to excited belief that in my small world today, because I am a child of the most high God, I will not run out of gas. God is my provider and I will make it to the WalMart gas station and furthermore I will not putt, putt, choke, shake, putt, putt, NO! I am going to drive up like I have a full tank! I am claiming it and speaking it as though it has already come to pass.

I'm singing and praising at the top of my lungs driving 50 mph on I90. People are driving by and I'm smiling out my window at them. You know, one of those "I'm having a great day toothy smiles" so they wonder what in the world I am doing. I can hear them......Crazy lady! Hazardous driver! Take Highway 20 next time, jerk!

All the while, they're missing the greatest miracle of February fourth two-thousand and eleven. You got it. I arrived at WalMart just like my faith said I would. Like I had a full tank of gas. I even sat there with the car on while I put on my gloves and zipped up my coat, got my debit card out, popped open the trunk to get out the gas tank stuff for cold weather, put on my chap stick, and then I turned off the car, got out and put physical gas in my tank.

Now I'm still praising out loud. I didn't even realize it was still happening. I'm still talking to God. Tears of joy are coursing down my cheeks and I'm thanking God because he's more than enough! Next thing I know, I'm dancing a bit as I pump the gas. I think I may have done one of those tricky moon walking steps as I put things back together and get back in my car.

Don't try to tell me that God doesn't care about the little things in your life. Yes, I should have planned better and I should have never even let the gas tank get below 1/2 tank in this kind of weather. Yes, I should have put gas in the tank when I saw it said "41 miles to E." Yes, yes, yes!! BUT today God loved me so much he provided a miracle for dumb little me. He let me exercise that little bit of faith inside mixed with the offensive weapon of praise and proved that he cares about me. He loves ME!! He will supply ALL my needs.

Guess what I know? I am going to go through my next "crises" better than this one. I know there is going to be a day in the very near future, when the "crises" is going to be a little bigger and I'm going to say to myself.... "Lord, I remember when you cared enough to extend my gas mileage when my gas tank was empty. If you can do that, then I know you can be more than enough in this situation too."

Hey, you should try this thing out! It works!