This past week has been full of malfunctions with my power chair beginning with last Sunday. As I was heading off to church my power chair felt bumpy and I discovered I had a flat tire. Unfortunately this halted my travel plans in going to church however I considered the misfortune divine intervention as I was extremely tired that day. My body was aching from going out in the rain every day. I had no choice but to stay home and rest. I was thankful that I was home when the flat tire occurred. It would have been more challenging if I was out.
On Tuesday a technician from Motion Specialties came and replaced both tires. Unfortunately a few hours later, another flat tire. Again I was appreciative that it happened at home. The tire was repaired the next day however when it rains it pours.
That night the battery charger stopped working. Fortunately I still had the old charger but I’m not able to plug that one in myself, I need another person assist me. And to top it all off on Saturday night the joy stick on my control box fell apart which means I can’t drive the chair at all. No church again.
It would have been so easy to feel defeated but I chose to see God’s grace. My mom is visiting and I was so grateful that she was here as I probably would have been stuck all night in my chair if I was home alone. I would have tried to find a way to get to the phone but with no guarantee that I would have been able to get my chair to the phone.
All week I have been able to see God’s grace and his mercy upon me. As I am writing this I sit in my manual chair. It’s been over 24 hours and most likely it will be another day or two before the repair technician comes to fix my power chair. My body is stressed, tense from little back support and an awkward sitting position yet my heart remains full of gratitude because of God’s mercy upon me.
I am so grateful that my mother is here to help me. The situation could have been much more difficult to cope if I was completely on my own however I take comfort in knowing that God will provide no matter how extreme the situation is.
I thank you Lord for your unending grace even though I feel undeserving. You are absolutely a wonderful and loving heavenly father.
Oh, Lucy. God must so love your attitude. You remind me of Ann Voskamp. She talks so much about being positive in our brokenness. You are an inspiration to me. All of us have those little mercies. We need to notice them and be grateful. I remember walking to work one day at university, just recovering from a severe ear infection, the freezing wind hitting me in the face and pouring down my neck. I had lost my only scarf weeks before and felt the cold to my toes. I was asking God, all the way to the office, why He had to let the wind blow so cold and harsh in my face. Couldn’t He at least have put the wind at my back? It seemed so unnecessarily cruel. I finally got to my office, walked in the door, and there was my long-lost scarf on my desk. My roommate, who was never known for her thoughtfulness for anyone, had walked through a building and noticed my scarf in a lost and found box. She had snatched it out and taken it to my office that morning. God didn’t tell me why He allowed the freezing wind down my neck and in my tender ears but He showed me that, whatever the reason He allows hard things, He knows and He cares. It was a lesson worth the long cold walk in the wind.