God is just too cool for school!

If you have never tried just letting God lead your life I highly recommend it!  As the Bible says, if gives you a peace that surpasses all understanding.  In addition to that, it's just really, really cool to experience. 
 

Sometimes it is in great big earth shattering ways.  Most times, at least for me, it is the little things that I really notice and appreciate. 

Let me share a series of events that culminated today that I think are just a great example of how God can bless each and every one of us if we'll let Him.

I've been working on my son's car rebuilding the transmission.  This has been a several month project.  In taking the engine and transmission out back in the spring I managed to break off a couple of vacuum lines. 

I didn't know what they were called so I couldn't really look them up to see what replacements would cost, but God told me not to worry about it.  So over the months, occasionally I would remember that I needed that part and while I was curious, I never really worried about it.  God said not to so I just trusted that He had it covered. 

There was another part that we would have liked to have for the rebuild but it was around $150 so we had used some rubber hose and devised a workaround but it clearly was an inferior repair to what we could have done if we'd had the proper part. 

On Friday night I was replacing the thermostat.  It didn't need to be done but it is only a $5 part so it is kind of like might as well do it while I am there.  Well, the thermostat housing cracks.  A $5 repair just became a $150 repair because that is what they want for a new one.

I spend Saturday driving to the local junk yards and nobody has the part.  I end up in Three Rivers.  The company's Yellow Pages ad says they are open until 5:00 on Sat.  I get there at 1:30 and they are closed.  New winter hours.  The guy that runs the place is still there and he is sure he has what I need but I'll have to come back on Monday.  (This is a junk yard where you have to take the parts off yourself.)

You're probably wondering what this has to do with God guiding me.  Let me make the connection.  I believe that God guided me down to this place, but I don't think it was an accident that I got there late.  I had to decide what to do next.

This is where it is hard not to be human.  We like to be in charge.  I know I certainly do.  So right away on the ride home my mind starts thinking of ways of repairing the part I have.  I even stopped on the way home and bought some epoxy putty to use in the repair. 

But here is the difference letting God lead your life makes.  While I was trying to solve the problem myself I was also asking God what He wanted me to do.  Please give me some guidance.  I didn't get the answer right away but over the next couple of hours as I worked on other stuff I knew God was saying "don't waste time trying to fix it" so I didn't.  I could have chosen to ignore God and bulled my way through fixing it and saved myself a second trip to Three Rivers, but I chose to listen. 

And remember, although the guy down there said he was sure he would have the part, no other junk yard I visited had the part so there was no guarantee that I would find one there either.

Now let me wrap this up.  First I got up early on Monday so I could get to the junk yard early.  I decided to do my Bible study and blog before I left this morning.  I had something happen that had never happened before.  I wrote the complete blog and was getting ready to post it and it disappeared!  Gone!

I was going to take the time to redo it but I heard God saying nope, do it later.  So again I did what God told me to do. 

I get to the junk yard and guess what I found?  I found the thermostat housing.  And oh by the way, I also found that proper part that we wished we had had.    And oh by the way, remember that vacuum line I broke that God told me not to worry about?  Yeah, I found that whole assembly as well!  All for under $9!!!  Talk about living in God's favor!

Now think about that.  If I had taken control and bulled my way through and repaired the part, that wouldn't have been the worst thing in the world.  I would have saved some time and money.  But look what I would have missed out on!  

For those of you who let God guide your life as I do I'm sure you have had similar experiences.  For those of you who have never experienced this, would you like too?  It is easy to do and it is totally in your control.

The first and most important step is to accept Jesus.  Simply ask Jesus to come into your life and take over and lead you.  Have a conversation and let Jesus know where you are at in life and what you are looking for.  "Dear Jesus…."

Now get into God's word on a consistent basis and develop your relationship with God.  Constantly look to Him for guidance before you act instead of after.  You'll get the hang of it after awhile.  Then you too will have stories like this to tell about how God guided your life. 

Now aren't you glad I listened to God and didn't redo the blog post this morning?  Trust me, this story was way better than that post.  God knew what He was doing as always!