Day 4 of Vacation Destination: Florida

As we enter into Day 4 of this vacation I can't help but think that God has a higher purpose for us on this journey to this particular place at this particular time. I don't know exactly what that is yet but all will be revealed in due time.

Frank's Dad was gracious enough to offer to stay at our house to take care of our dogs while we're away, saving us a boat load of money on kennel costs. He also offered up his Toyota for us to travel in, as we had our doubts on whether or not our 1998 minivan would make the trip. About 2 hours south of Atlanta we stopped for gas and Frank just happened to check the oil level, only to find it was more than 2 quarts low. Ummmm.... not good. So he put more oil in and we continued our journey, stopping every 60-100 miles to put more oil in.

Had this happened a year or two ago, I would have been very concerned, stressed and afraid of not making it to our destination in one piece. And I might be disappointed that car trouble would ruin our vacation.

But I couldn't help but be at peace. I knew that God was in control. I had complete faith that we would arrive safely. It reminded me of a time when my family was on vacation. We were taking a road trip through the Pennsylvania mountains on our way to visit family in Maryland. It was in the middle of the night when our car broke down. I wonder what my Dad was thinking, how he was feeling in the dark, on the side of the road on some mountain in the middle of nowhere while his children slept in the car. Was he afraid? All I remember is that a young man did see us and stopped to help. He didn't know anything about mechanics, but he had his little hatchback, which he allowed us to all pile into to and he drove us to a hotel close by to where our van was being serviced. We called him our guardian angel.

In our particular present circumstance, my husband does have quite a skill and talent in mechanics. He knew exactly what was going on with the Toyota and knew exactly what to do. He was saying that he shouldn't have been doubting all of the work he had done on our minivan (which we bought for $200 and he rebuilt the transmission and did a bunch of other work to it, making it a safe, everyday driver), and that he would never doubt his ability again. But I was thinking something a little different.

I agree that he should not doubt his mechanical skills and intelligence, but I also realized that it was probably a good thing that this happened while my husband was driving it, because his dad or anyone else may not have caught the problem in time, before the oil ran out and locked up the engine. How many people check the oil of their vehicles on a regular basis? Actually while we were at a gas station putting oil in there was a sign at the pump saying something like, "Have you checked your oil levels lately?"

Frank's mechanical skills are no doubt given to him from God for a purpose. He's used that gift to help a lot of people, including my mom when her van broke down while she was visiting me at college. And it's funny that as all of this is happening I am reading a chapter in my book about our God-given gifts, and how each of us were created to have our own special set of gifts and talents to use for God purpose. They are different for each one of us so we can help each other. If we were all given the same gifts, we wouldn't need help from each other.

I'm still trying to figure out what gifts God has given to me to use for His purpose, but I have a few ideas.

As for our vacation, it is in no way ruined. We had a wonderful visit with Frank's brother and his wife yesterday despite some clouds and rain. While Frank took the Toyota to the dealership the boys and I had a chance to go swimming at the hotel pool and nap and I had a little quiet time myself.

Oh, and while it was raining, the sun played peek-a-boo and revealed a beautiful rainbow. This morning the sun is shining, it's going to be a high of 83, and I look forward to whatever adventure God has in store for us.