“May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:14 (NIV)
Last time we were together, I spoke about how the mother/daughter day we had been planning for months was curtailed by car problems. What I failed to mention was that this day had been planned for months because it was our daughter’s 13th birthday and it was the first of many consecutive days of celebration.
My husband and I took the car down early Saturday morning and they were confident they would be able to get it back to us by the end of the day. I was so happy I promised the men a piece of her birthday cake when we came back in a few hours to pick it up. Instead of bringing cake and thanking the mechanics for their fast service, we received a phone call that the repairs were more extensive and much more expensive. We’re talking double what we originally thought. They were running into problems so the car wouldn’t be ready until Monday morning.
I tried to be patient and not worry about the price tag, thanking them for their time and reminding them I really needed it back by Monday morning because we had somewhere important to be Monday afternoon. We were still celebrating her birthday and had planned to meet my parents and husband at a restaurant about 20 minutes away. They assured me that was doable and said they would see me on Monday morning.
Monday morning I received another phone call – but instead of telling me to come pick up the car, they said they needed it longer because of more issues. These issues were due to a mistake on their end and it would delay us getting the car back by one or two more days. My response was not as nice, there was no promise of cake and I just wanted my car back. While I didn’t yell, scream or cause a scene, I wasn’t as patient or kind or loving – I wasn’t the best representation of Christ that I could’ve been. When we did pick up the car Wednesday, I brought Easter candy for them to enjoy but it wasn’t delivered with the smile I usually gave.
Looking back on it now, I’m still ashamed. If I had only trusted God more, I think my response would have been more in line with what He would expect of His child. We still were able to enjoy dinner for our daughter’s celebration in the next town (thanks again to my in-laws van). We still were able to do fun things during spring break, this time with a safer car. God came through regarding the car repairs – but I’m still worried that I have ruined my testimony to these two men whom I desperately wanted to introduce to Christ.
This past week my husband decided we needed new tires for the same car. Our mechanic was the best price in town. They upgraded the tires we were going to get to nicer ones and got the tires replaced the very next day from when I called. Yet, I feel like the relationship is strained now. I still regret my actions in April. I’ve asked God to forgive me. I know God restores and redeems.
But I learned a valuable lesson, possibly at the expense of other people. My response matters… all the time.
© Cheri Swalwell 2016