For the last few months, (well, since the spring,) I've been having terrible memory issues. I look at my students and have trouble calling their names. I drive down the road and feel lost. I stand in front of church and forget the words to songs that I've sung for fifteen years. (Anyone noticed that I haven't been singing lately???) My doctor sent me to a rheumatologist who thought that the problem could be sleep related. (He also mentioned some pretty terrible things that it could be, but I'm not going to claim those until they are diagnosed.)
Anyway, last night, I had to go for the sleep study. In the back of my mind, I was DREADING this. I HATED the idea of people starring at me while I slept. I HATED the idea of being hooked with all the wires and tethered while I slept. Truly, I could have had a panic attack just thinking about it. So...I backed out of our driveway and the oil light came on in my car. I pulled back in and saw a terrible sight....A huge puddle of oil under my car. I drove Marc's car to the sleep study, (Which went horribly, by the way. Every dread I had came true. I couldn't STAND the tube in my nose, I hated the wires and it was nearly 3 am before I fell asleep.)
Marc had figured that my car was a simple fix, like an oil sensor or something, so after I didn't sleep, I took the day off to rest. Then he called me outside and said, "You might want to sit down." I didn't hear anything else. I know it sounds terribly stupid and juvenile to be this upset about a car, but this was the ONLY car I have EVER owned as an adult. I bought it my first year teaching. I love my car. I really, REALLY LOVE my car. To hear that it was a more expensive fix than the car is worth, broke my heart.
With Marc getting his disability a few months ago, we have been rebuilding our credit from the 19 months that we were on one income, but I knew that it was no where near where it needed to be to get a good deal on a new car. First, we went to a dealership and they were able to offer us financing, but the payment was really high. I told Marc that didn't have a good peace about the situation and he said, "God has always provided for us, and He isn't going to stop now." Obviously, we couldn't afford this really high payment, so we drove to another dealership.
When we arrived, I was crying. (Obsessing over my dead car, obviously.) This salesman walked up to us and said, "Can I help you?" "NO," I almost screamed. "My car died today and my husband is disabled and we can afford a car payment, but our credit is junk, so I doubt there is anything you can do for us." The man stopped, looked at me and said, "We may not be able to provide you with financing, but I can pray for you." The line with their financing department was long, so they suggested that we go home and they would call us with an answer. To me, that was a big NO on the financing, but the salesman said, "Before you leave, could I pray with you?" Of course we said yes, and he prayed something like, "God, these people have a need. You said that you would provide our needs. Now, they may not find a car here, but they need a car TODAY. Would you please meet their need TODAY and provide them some type of transportation?"
Then we left. We had not made it home when he called back and said, "I have a 2006 Kia Sorento that we can put you in with a payment that you can handle. Are you interested in coming back to look at it?" DUH....So we went for a test drive. In the test drive, we went past the new NewSpring church that is coming to Greenwood. We made small talk about it and the salesman said, "I knew Perry when he was a youth minister in Anderson." I said, "At North Anderson Baptist?" He said, "Yes. The pastor there, Bill Rigsby was a mentor of mine." At that point, we were going to buy a car. You see, Bill Rigsby was my pastor in Anderson and is the person who gave me my first spiritual legs. He baptized me and was a solid rock for me while I was in college. Any friend of Pastor Bill's was a friend of mine.
Isn't God great? I didn't have a peace about it and now I have total peace about it. I don't like having to put a big down payment towards the car, and I don't know that I am gonna love having a car payment- Mainly, I HATE the idea of losing my car, but I know that God was in the whole process. You see, my car did not die during the 19 months that Marc was out of a paycheck. My car did not die in the middle of the month when the down payment would have been harder to come up with. My car died the day after pay day, which made the down payment available.
Tomorrow morning at 10:00 they will come to my house and tow away my sweet Frogger Car. She was a great car and I will miss her terribly, but I stand amazed that I will drive my new car to work tomorrow and that ONCE AGAIN our needs have been met. Nearly TWENTY YEARS ago, God knew what it would take to offer me peace TODAY, so he led me to Pastor Bill's church. I take refuge in knowing that I will always be taken care of. God is good. All the time.
