Options and Changes...

Do you remember in the last post I wrote about “Change is in the Air?”  Well… that includes changes for my wife and I as well.  After a fair amount of prayer and soul-searching, I gave in to the press I was sensing from the Lord and did it… What did I do?  I changed the decor of our garage… Huh?  You what?  I changed the Vapor Silver theme to Metallic Black.  In other words, I did what I thought was best for my wife and traded in my fun Mustang GT convertible for a 2015 Chevy Equinox 1LT SUV.

It really wasn’t as hard as I would like to think it could have been because as the Lord began to float the idea in my head a few weeks back, I realized that it was the natural progression of things for where we are in our lives at this time.  The clincher came for me after we spent an hour and a half at the local Ford dealership a few weeks back, as they were servicing the GT.  It is not that the time was unexpected, but that I could not put up any longer with my wonderful wife having to sit unsupported and bent over in her transport chair because we didn’t have a car large enough to carry her new custom fit tilt chair!

So when we drove down to Lillington after voting on Tuesday with the simple idea of measuring the lift gate and back storage area of a Equinox to see if this vehicle would even work for us, and the salesman said: “Go ahead and take it home and see if the chair fits – no pressure,” things began to fall into place rather quickly!  

So here we sit today with a comfortable, sharp looking vehicle (although the four cylinder engine will take some getting used to…) with a center console infotainment system that looks a little like the control center of the Starship Enterprise.  And to be perfectly honest, this vehicle not only meets Piper’s needs, but it is also a more practical tool for our home and property needs!  So… after we sell the Buick we should come out just about even in this transaction… Like Hannibal Smith of the TV series the A TEAM always said: “I love it when a plan comes together!”

And speaking of plans… I had one fretful night’s rest a few days ago as I found myself unable to get back to sleep after giving Piper her 2:30 AM medication.  I had spent the previous day formulating different scenarios for our vehicle situation, and in the early morning hours I found myself dealing with many fear-induced anxieties over it and questioning the entire transaction.  After playing around with all these thoughts for a while, I suddenly had a revelation of II Timothy 1:7 as I heard a voice in my head clearly taking control and saying: “God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (MKJV)

Within an instant of time I sat up in bed and realized that those thoughts and questions were NOT of God.  I was beginning to think that the anxiety that I was feeling was the leading of God toward the big decision I was about to make.  But I also remembered Paul’s distinct words to us in Philippians 4:6 were he stated rather manner of factly: “In NOTHING be anxious…” (American Standard Version)  And then I heard that voice again reaffirming what I really should have known in the first place, gently reminding me that: “God does not lead His children by fear and anxiety!”

I mean, after all, He can’t give us something that He doesn’t have and He sure enough isn’t going to borrow tools from the devil in order to teach His family members!  Well, I admit that I felt a little dumb at that particular moment!  I am glad it was the middle of the night and I was laying in the dark with my wife and dog fast asleep!

So, as it turns out, the devil’s little foray into our decision making process actually helped cement our decision to go with the soft and gentle leading that the good Lord had recently given me about the need and perfect timing to change vehicles and continue to move on with Him in this current chapter in our lives!  

You know… I like it when I feel in sync with the plans of God.  How about you?  I’ve discovered that our being in sync with Him makes the sometimes difficult process of change, no matter how big or small, dramatic or not, easy to facilitate and live with.  I realized pretty quickly that something was up when the Lord first began to impress me with the idea of a different vehicle.  It was similar to the “feeling” I talked about in the last blog, as well as with many of the other dramatic changes we’ve made over the last three years (including our move out here.)

This may come as a shock to some of you who may have been taught that some anxiety or worry is a good and natural emotion that we have in the tool box of our lives.  But my Bible sure seems to say something different about that!  I guess when the Lord tells us that at salvation we become a new creation, He meant it!  As Christians we have a whole new owner’s manual… similar to the three thick ones that we just got with the new Equinox!  I thought that the Mustang had a lot of options, but this six years newer vehicle makes it look like a Model T!

If I want to fully appreciate and utilize every option it has to offer then I have a lot of reading and experimenting to do.  I think it may take a while to become the Star Commander of our new vehicle… but I have every intention to accomplish the task before me… just like I do in my Christian faith!  How ‘bout you, Captain?

Have a great weekend, and as you do, keep asking yourself… “Am I expecting to learn and utilize all the options available to me in God’s Word?”