Thankful. . .

Today I was driving.  That is it.  Just driving.  All alone, a rarity in my life now that I am a Mama.  No, there was no babbling baby, no radio, no husband singing slightly under his breath.  It was just me.  And it was good.  Here is why.

About a month ago my husband and I leant one of our cars (we have two) to a family in our church who had run into some bad luck with both of their cars.  They were waiting to be worked on in the shop and since the church where my hubby works is right across the street, we could spare a car for a couple of weeks.  Our Ford Taurus found a new home for a time being.  However, one day while they were driving it, it just quit working…

This was not good news for either party.  We brought the car up to my grandfather’s shop.  Luckily this man is one of the best mechanics this world has ever seen.  Seriously.  Most of the time you can just turn the car on, he will listen to it, and have a pretty good idea on what the problem is (and is right more than he is wrong).  This has saved countless thousands of dollars for my family as well as other families in our community.  He is a servant, a God fearing man, and a prayer warrior, a wonderful example.

This past week my husband and Papaw have been working on our poor Taurus.  My husband knows absolutely nothing about cars. Zero. Luckily Papaw is a patient man and a willing teacher.  He took the Hubs under his wing and allowed him to help in this project.  They had to take the transmission out, which took a while, and sent my husband home looking like a grease monkey the first day.  After this there was the ordering of a part (a Tork converter I believe) that they hoped would be able to fix the transmission instead of having to replace it.

Which brings me to today, when these two men go back to working on the car, and my husband the grease monkey reappears.  However, before they start their work day, my grandfather says to the Hubs, let’s pray because I am not real sure if this will work, it is a gamble.  So they pray for their day, their families, and that God would allow this $200 part to fix the problem instead of a $700 new transmission.  Guess what, at the end of the day, it did.

The best part though was getting the text message from my grease monkey honey saying he was done for the day.  When I asked how the car was he simply replied, “Working, praise God.”  Immediately I was so thankful for a husband who would work all day long on something and without a second thought give God the glory for it.  I was so thankful to have a husband who is unashamed to love the Lord.  I was so thankful to have a husband who would talk this way to me, and lead me to do the same by example.  I was just so grateful for this man, not another, that he is the one I get to spend the rest of my life with.

So on my solitary drive home, I thanked God.  Intensely thanked Him for the blessing of my husband.  Of a God-fearing/loving, praying grandfather.  Of the fact I get to be married to this guy for however long God sees fit.  I am blessed beyond measure to be his wife.  I prayed also for our marriage, for a strengthening of our relationship, for his stamina in being a leader not only at our church but at home, for his own spiritual life.  THis was such a sweet time with the Lord, one I am grateful for.  I am thankful for a God who listens, who hears, who blesses.  Thank you Father for quiet rides alone on a long stretch of highway when this mother needed it.