Ever had such a day... (car + pruners = fun)

Ok everyone. I send my apologies. After posting 3 blogs in July, I have gone a month without posting. I will do my best to get more consistent.

So, let's go back to the subject of this blog. Have you "ever had such a day that you began fixing your automobile with a pair of tree pruners?"

Now that I have your attention, let me tell you what happened. About three months ago, my wife borrowed my car to drive to church for a woman's bible study. She never drives my car because it does not have a car seat. But, since I was keeping our son for her to go to church, she drove my car in case I need to drive hers (with the car seat).

As she pulled out of the driveway, I noticed something hanging down from the front bumper. I did not know what it was, but it looked like some weather stripping that had been pulled loose. I attempted to reattach it, but failed. To quickly resolve the situation, I put a bungee cord around it, so she could go ahead and drive it until I could fix it. (And, the "yellow" bungee cord looked great against the "dark blue" color of the car!)

I thought about fixing it several times, but I did not really know how to fix it. A day turned into a week and three months eventually passed, until today.

Today, I came home from work in a mood to "get things done". I was just determined to catch up some things and mark them off my list. When my eyes spotted my car's bumper, I decided to fix it then and there. I bent down under the car to see how the strip was attached. I tried to reattach it, remove it, and even tuck it under the bumper (don't ask). When these options failed, something snapped in me. I was not going to lose the battle. So, I went to my "wall of lawn tools", grabbed my tree pruners, and began clipping away. 14 seconds later, my problem was fixed. I picked up the shred of weather stripping, dumped it in the trash, and retreated back into my home, with a job well done!

In thinking about my day, my week, and my vengeance on my car, I was reminded about some of God's promises. When life stresses you out, God says to be still. When Jesus was with his disciples on the raging sea, he simply said "Peace, be still" and the waves rolled back into calm seas.

In the Old Testament, God gives us numerous promises around this same need for calmness in our seas of stress. Here are a few verses from the book of Psalm to remind you of His faithfulness to us:

Psalm 18:35

You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great.

Psalm 89:21

My hand will sustain him; surely my arm will strengthen him.

Psalm 119:116

Sustain me according to your purpose, and I will live; do not let me hopes be dashed.

Psalm 119: 175

Let me live that I may praise you, and may your laws sustain me.

And my favorite one...

Psalm 55:22

Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.

I hope this blog encourages you. It seems that everyone I know is battling stress. This is not a battle that we should fight.

Our battle with stress is an indication of our reliance on God.

If we stress to the point of exhaustion, we are not relying on God and His perfect peace and power.

Share some thoughts here about a time when life overtook you. Share how God pulled you from the stress and restored your peace.