Once upon a time there was a family that had this crazy idea to spend 3 weeks on the road sharing and learning about the love of Jesus with the people they met along the way. They set out on a Sunday afternoon driving a big pick-up and pulling a 5th wheel behind them. After about 7 hours of travel they stopped for dinner, knowing the first over night stop was only 2 hours away. The end was in sight and they were thrilled!
Right after dinner the kids were settled in to finally watch a movie on the truck's DVD player (their parents had strange rules about no movies until dark!) when all of a dither they heard a loud pop. The concerned mama looked out the extra long side mirror to see fiber glass waving in the wind and a tire spewing out rubber. A blow out. The daddy quickly pulled over and ushered the family out of the car. To the parent's delight the blow out occurred right outside of a state welcome center equipped with a playground, air conditioned bathrooms, and walking trails (not to mention a lovely pink sunset). So while the daddy sweat and strained to put the spare on, the rest of the family discovered what happens to reeds when you shred them up. They were back on the road in no time and discussed the goodness of God in this situation. Sure, they would have preferred not to have a blown tire, but really, the placement and the timing was ideal if it had to happen.
Fast forward about 45 minutes. It was now dark, and the nearest town was unknown. The family was cruising through forest and there were no lights anywhere. The kids were once again enjoying their movie when the family heard another pop. The spare had blown. This time the situation was a bit more dire. It was pitch black, there was no spare, and barely a shoulder to park on. The family chose to push on, going 20 in a 70, watching the sparks fly from the rim of the tire. They found a nice hotel about 10 miles up the road in a town that had a tire store. The family was exhausted. The RV had seen better days.
This blown tire did not happen in the ideal place, nor at the ideal time. But the family chose to discuss the goodness of God anyway. Because God is not a god of circumstance. Whether things go the way we want them to or not, God is still God, and God is good. He can't be anything but.
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Travel tip:
I cannot declare my love for Wikki Stix loud enough! They are the perfect activity while on the road. My tip here is to buy Wikki Stix by the pallet for long road trips!
7 comments:
So sorry about your blowouts! You certainly have a good attitude about it - I hope it all got fixed up and you're back on your way...
oh dear me. what an adventure already!
i hope this is the last of the blowouts.
love you guys!
oh my goodness! well...i'm glad you guys are okay! hopefully you guys are just getting these traveling kinks out of the way and it will be smooth sailing from here on out.
proud of you!
love you!
Eesh, two blow outs. When a new tire was put on, did you find some damage on the rim that might have caused it? (I ask knowing the rim might have been damaged due to driving on it!)
Nicola
Yay! No blowouts for day 2!
Thanks, Mandi, for posting as regularly as could be expected on such a trip. And thanks this morning for the reminder that God is good no matter what's going on around us. I found myself losing my gratitude this morning and reading your post has brought it back to life, if only gasping for air at this point :). Love you and the kids (including your biggest one).
Thanks, Mandi, for posting as regularly as could be expected on such a trip. And thanks this morning for the reminder that God is good no matter what's going on around us. I found myself losing my gratitude this morning and reading your post has brought it back to life, if only gasping for air at this point :). Love you and the kids (including your biggest one).
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