Thoughtful Thursday

Check your Tires

Don’t you love going on vacation? Many years ago, my husband, Ed,  and I, along with our seven year old son, were headed to beautiful Holden Beach, North Carolina. We were so excited! Our old green Dodge dually was pulling a 36 foot travel trailer, and we had found a campground right on the beach. 

We couldn’t wait to get there! We had loaded all the provisions that we thought we would need into our camper. We packed food, cleaning supplies, beach toys, lounge chairs, sunscreen, and of course, fishing equipment.

We had an uneventful trip most of the way along our eight hour journey. By the time we stopped to eat, fuel up, and rest, it was closer to ten hours. We listened to music, sometimes sang our own songs, played a few silly travel games, and eventually, we were near our destination.

We were about ten miles from the beach, on a little two lane road, when my husband said, “Something is wrong. This truck isn’t driving right!” My mind automatically went to a problem with the tow hitch, or perhaps a flat tire on the camper. He eased off onto the narrow shoulder beside the road, shifted into Park, and got out of the truck. As he walked around to my side of the truck, I heard him exclaim, “Oh, my goodness!” I quickly got out of the truck, saw where he was pointing at the right front tire on our truck, and I said, “Oh, my goodness!”

I had never seen anything like it! On that one tire, we saw a bunch of bubbles bulging out…not just one or two, but big bubbles, small bubbles, random bubbles…it reminded me of someone who has the measles. It was a miracle that the tire hadn’t blown out along the way. Luckily, we had a spare tire, so Ed changed the tire, and we drove on to the beach. After setting up the camper, we realized that we didn’t want to drive home without a spare, so Ed drove back into town to get a new tire.

I’m reminded that we often have “bubbles” on our tire of life.  They can really test us. We may have bubbles in our marriage, bubbles in our workplace, bubbles in our family, our health, our finances, or some other avenue whereby we are attacked by satan’s fiery darts. Sometimes, things just pop up; they irritate us, and if we are not prepared, we can have a “blowout,” as we go down life’s weary road. How can we prepare? It tells us in God’s Word.

Ephesians 6:12-18:

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Stand firm then, with the belt of TRUTH buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS in place. And with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of PEACE.

In addition to all this, take up the shield of FAITH, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Take the helmet of SALVATION and the sword of the spirit, which is the WORD OF GOD.

And PRAY in the spirit on all occasions, with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

So, the next time that something gets on your nerves, or aggravates you, or makes you angry, think of it as “tiny bubbles,” check your tires, and put on your armor.

HAVE A GREAT THURSDAY!