God of the good, the bad, and the ugly

Sunday night, Oct. 31, Jennifer and i were driving back from visiting my brother and sister-in-law. On the interstate, after dark, we heard a loud bang and i experienced a new sensation, that of a car going down the road at 65-70 mph with only 3 tires, the car pulling to the right. Traffic had just thinned out and i had a clear shot to the shoulder, across 3 lanes. We were safe, i was able to get the spare put on, using my wife’s superior flashlight holding ability and her moral support (oh, she also helped with lowering the car). It was a scary moment that took quite a while for me to get my heart rate down after i realized how bad it could have been if traffic had not thinned out, if it was a rear tire that blew, if there had not been a shoulder for me to pull off onto, if someone not paying attention hit my car while i was working on it, if my wife had been in the car by herself, i could go on and on thinking about scenarios that would have been worse. It wasn’t the most desirable position to be in, but it could have been worse. It is amazing how many views on this you could take, positive or negative. Some might think how horrible to have a flat at all and be forced to stay overnight in a hotel and miss work the next day, more many to spend, less to come in. It would be easy to get frustrated by it. Jennifer and i, not that we are “above” anyone who would approach it like that, i think, had a healthy perspective. We were, of course, feeling fortunate that everything happened in the right way, that we were safe and it was quick and easy to put the spare on. It was fortunate that we had a warranty that covered the tire, that we got the tire originally at Wal-Mart and they are everywhere and are great at dealing with things like this, that we got to spend a night alone in a hotel, that we got another day to spend together (it made for a nice long weekend). We are thankful. God may not have caused the blow out, but He was able to make it a blessing. Much of that depended on our perspective on the situation. If we had seen it as nothing good can come from this, we would have missed out on blessings. Since we looked for the good and the positive and had a heart of thanksgiving, we were wide open to God blessing the situation.
Some might be saying, “God was really with you” or “God was really watching out for you” to which i would say yes He was. The thing to watch out for, though, is in saying that if things had turned out worse or even tragically, would that have meant that God was not with us or watching out for us? My aunt, about this time last year, was in a car that had a tire blow out. Her situation turned out to be much worse. It was raining heavily, there was heavy traffic, she was by herself, and she wrecked. Her car was totaled. She lost consciousness and had injuries that she is still recovering from; there may even be some permanent damage. She still is afraid to drive by herself in less than perfect conditions. Does that mean that God was not with her or watching over her? i know of people who have been in similar situations and have died or lost loved ones. For those, does it mean that God was not with them or not watching over them? By no means. That is pretty close to being blasphemy as far as i can tell. God is always present. God is always with us. What ever happens, best case scenario or worst case scenario, God is always there and has many ways to bless us in the outcome, and our job is to look for them, embrace them, and be thankful for them.
We have, today, an important day for our nation. It is Election Day and today our voters will decide who they want to have as our president for the next four years. Half of the country is scared that George Bush will lose and the other half is scared that he will win. Most praying people are praying that the country makes the right decision (which is the way they think it should because it is “impossible that they are wrong in their beliefs”). What we should be praying is that we see God working in whatever outcome, that He guides us in how we deal with the results. We should not be praying that God is on our side, but that we are with God, that we know He will carry us through whatever the outcome. Whether the United States makes a mistake today or not, it is up to us as we are a created with free will and our country has the freedom to used that free will to decide who will lead it, even though we may be misguided much of the time following our own wills, desires, and biases. Whatever decisions we make as individuals or as a collective, we have to deal with the consequences, we also have to also pray for God’s guidance as we deal with them. We need to ask for God’s blessings to come and for vision to see them. We need to see that He is still the Ever-Present God in our victories and defeats and He alone will sustain us. He alone makes all things good. In Him alone can we find true wisdom. In Him alone can we find victory. God does not lose when one party or another loses an election, God does not win because one group wins over another. God has won the war, His ultimate goal has been won and in Him and Him alone do we find the victory. i rise and i fall at different times, but God is always there ready to guide me to the right place. He is the God of my succeedings and failings. He is God of my tragedies and celebrations. Above all, He is God.

May i never forget.

raymond, a child of the King