Photo by Frank Albrecht on Unsplash

Last week, I helped Andrea and her co-teacher transfer some items we stored out our house to their classroom in order to get ready for school. When I left the school, I heard an unwanted noise coming from my car. My window was down so I could tell it was the front tire. When I looked, I saw a screw partially inserted into the tire. Since it had just happened, it wasn’t even in all the way.

I called a local tire place and they assured me they had the tire in stock. I had to call back to make the appointment once I checked my calendar. When I called back, they again said the tire was in stock. On my appointment day, I dropped my car off early and the again looked at their computer and said that the tire was in stock.

Thirty minutes after dropping the tire off, the tire place called to tell me the tire was NOT in stock. Their computer listed it as available, but they were no where to be found in their inventory. A quick repair was now going to take several days (it was Saturday).

I was frustrated. I felt a little hemmed in by not having access to my car. My Saturday did not start out the way I was wanting it to. I was griping and complaining about it.

On Monday, the manager on-duty at the tire place was a relative of one of my softball girls. He indicated that he was going to try and get me a lower price on my tire. Ultimately, I had the best price.

This got me thinking. If he had been able to lower the price, I would have missed out on it if my tire had been replaced on Saturday. In the midst of my complaining and frustration about the tire, the delay could have led to a blessing- a lower price.

How often do we complain and get frustrated with the stop signs, the detours, and the periods of waiting in our lives- when they may be the very avenue that God is using to lead us to a greater blessing? How often do we get impatient with God because the outcome is not what we want, when we want it?

While I didn’t get a lower price on my tire, I did get a reminder that God’s timing is perfect- I may not always understand it, but I am learning to trust God and wait for it.