Take care of your things

I seem to have the worst luck. Let me explain. I am a firm believer in taking care of my things. I clean my room. I floss my teeth. I dry-clean my clothes. And I do my best to keep the best care of my vehicle. However, sometimes all of my good intentions don’t seem to pay off. I get frustrated by the effort I put in and what little result I see in return. While this could apply to a number of things for me right now, most of this thought process is spurred by recent car trouble. Don’t get me wrong, I know that I am incredibly blessed to have a car and can afford to keep it running. But it always seems to fall apart at the most inconvenient of times. Like the week after I arrived in Fort Lauderdale this summer and my air conditioning quit. Or when my routine oil check turned into a belt replacement. Or like yesterday when my easy evaluation of the check engine soon light turned into a multi-day event. Needless to say, car trouble is always inconvenient and always expensive. So as I sit here this evening having completed my homework for the day, I am trying to process what this could teach me.

1. Patience: a much needed quality that is extremely hard to learn. It is especially apparent through times like these that patience is not a virtue that I would say I have. But God knows me better than I know myself, and He knows exactly what I need before I realize it. Especially in a time of schedule planning and mid-semester stress, patience is the perfect tool to bring a calm heart and mind.
2. Perspective: for the times we get too caught up in ourselves. That belt that needed to be replaced could’ve broken as I was driving back to school and caused an accident on the highway. The current issue with my car could’ve resulted in being stranded far away from safety. There are way worse things that could’ve occurred. A step back is almost always beneficial.
3. Realizing what you have: because too often we forget. Yes I have a car. I also have friends who offer to pick me up, family connections in the area to recommend decent car mechanics, and flexibility to schedule in these last minute changes. While this situation was inconvenient, there is much that could have made this worse or impossible.

We have a lot of nice things in life. And there is plenty that gets in the way of realizing this truth. Unfortunately, it’s up to us to have the courage and the strength to choose the positive attitude about whatever comes our way. And while that’s not easy, it is most definitely worth it. So take a deep breath and relish in the undercover blessings God continues to put in our lives to save us from ourselves. Oh, and take care of your things.