Soccer Mom.

Oh my.  As of today I am actually the owner of a mini-van.  I'm selling my Element and saying goodbye to the silver toaster that has kept me company for the last eight years.  Something about serving in campus ministry and driving a million miles made me realize that having a car that gets so-so gas mileage and can only hold four people is not very smart.  And then I have these super-generous friends who seem to do whatever they can to support me and Wesley.  They offered me Old Blue, the minivan from Lake Ann that has traveled a bazillion miles on youth adventures and crazy mountain bike and skiing trips.  Old Blue it is - a practical decision, a generous gift that will help us do great ministry.  Old Blue is the place where lots of sacred conversations have taken place, where teenagers have discussed difficult things, where laughter and tears have been confronted with love and kindness.  Who knows what we will encounter together!

Transitioning vehicles has taken up way too much space in my brain for the last few months.  Something about it has scared me, I guess because I wasn't exactly sure what I needed to do.  Sometimes I get the feeling that I'm the only person in the world who doesn't get something.  In the midst of feeling stupid I get anxious about whether or not I'm making the smartest decision.  Then the whole thing gets way bigger than it really is.  Today I decided I'd take care of this transition with my insurance folks and the Secretary of State's office.  I have to admit that after about 20 minutes the whole thing was done.  Now all I have to do is sell my car. What a silly thing to get so overwhelmed about!

Does that ever happen to you?  Where something that  you don't know much about gets you scared or feeling foolish?  My experience today reminded me again how hard it is for me to ask for help and to trust that others are gracious and kind in giving it.  It also made me ponder these words from Proverbs 3, that seem to come up at Wesley with some frequency:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge God, and God will make your paths straight."


This is one of those verses that I need to have tattooed on my forehead because I seem to forget it as I try to figure out everything on my own.  What I lose sight of is the call for us to work together as the Body of Christ.  The gifts given to me may be helpful to you, and the gifts you've been given are certainly helpful to others.  Today I was reminded that it is ok not to have everything figured out, that needing to rely on others is a good thing.

How do you trust in the Lord with all your heart?  Do you have trouble asking for/receiving help?  How might God be using others gifts to strengthen your own?

Prayer:  God, sometimes I forget the most simple of things.  I need reminding that trusting in you is more important than coming up with all the answers on my own.  Help me receive the gift of other people, to rely on those in my community, that all of us may come to acknowledge and praise you!  Amen.