Honest Thoughts from a Pastor

Two weekends ago, I experienced a series of inconveniences. I know you have them too – those pesky, unplanned things that ruin your plans. That particular weekend seemed to have more than its fair share. I’ll try to give you a quick synopsis without boring you with the details.

Friday, 3:00 pm – Saw a screw in my driver’s side rear tire. Have to leave at 4:00, so I hoped that I could get a quick repair and be on the road within an hour…WRONG!

Friday, 5:00 pm – Leaving an hour late because the tire had to be replaced

Friday, 8:00 pm – Pulled over on the interstate, 75 miles from home, with a flat passenger’s side rear tire. The insurance company couldn’t find anyone in-network remotely close since we were in a rural area. Highway patrol came to the rescue.

Friday, 11:45 pm – Returning home approximately 3 hours later than planned, tired and exhausted

Saturday – originally planned to relax and enjoy my kids since I only see them every other weekend, but spent the day chasing down a place that was open and finally going to the dealership before it closed at 4:00 pm to get another new tire.

I know it sounds like complaining. I am a little bit but not as much as I did that weekend. God was so gracious to allow me to be safe when I could have had bad experiences with those tires. He even provided the money I would not have normally had to pay for it. There were some bright sides.

The spiritual lessons are probably more difficult to swallow than the circumstances themselves. Maybe not. In my reading following that weekend, I read something by Pastor Tony Evans that said that endurance comes from inconvenience and an unpleasant situation. I had asked people earlier that week to pray for endurance and perseverance for me (be careful what you pray for, right?😂). This came up in preparation for a sermon I preached this past Sunday night. The prayer Paul prayed for the Colossians in chapter one is that they would “walk worthy of the Lord…with all patience and longsuffering with joy.” I don’t like the patience or longsuffering, but gimme a big ole dose of that joy! James 1:2 says that the trying of our faith is what works patience. In this journey, I have to learn to suffer even the inconveniences of this life joyfully as the Holy Spirit works in me.

Inconveniences seem horrible, but there is a bigger plan to them all. God is at work, even when you don’t feel it. Hold on tight. Stay the course. There is growth and reward around the corner.