Junker car
My 18 yr old son has 2 vehicles. One is a pick up that is currently torn apart because he has a plan of fixing it up and painting it really fancy. The other one is a real “junker” just an old Honda that he bought cheap for the low gas mileage. Yesterday his “junker” decided it didn’t have another trip in it. It died on his way to work and he needed to call for a ride the rest of the way. His pickup is in pieces and undriveable until he has some time and money to put it back together. So he asked if we’d cosign a loan for him to get a different vehicle. Since he moved out as soon as he turned 18 and his taking care of himself, he really doesn’t have room for another payment, (he’s still paying on the pickup he already has, the one that’s not driveable) so we refused. He looked defeated. We could so easily have said yes and made his problems go away. We could have said “don’t worry son, here’s the money, go get what you need” And don’t kid yourself, I WANTED TO! It’s just so hard to watch your kids struggle. But what will they learn if you fix their problems for them? Will they ever be able to manage their own finances if we’re always “kicking” in? Ever so reluctantly, he agreed that the best course of action was to get his current pick up put back together (maybe not fancy) so that he can at least have some wheels. Then once he gets his tools paid off (he’s a mechanic and has gotten in deep to the Snap-on tool guy) or his current pick up paid off then he can look into something else. I know he doesn’t understand why we don’t fix this for him. I know he thinks we’re being mean and thinks we’re trying to punish him for something. But someday he will see that this was the best decision.
Don’t we sometimes feel this way when God doesn’t answer our requests with a resounding “YES”. Do we feel that he is punishing us for something? That He is being “mean”? God tells us “no” or “not yet” because there is something greater going on that we can’t see. In the same way, when we tell our children “no” or “not yet”, there is a greater reason than they can understand right now.
LORD, help me to trust you more and to understand that when you tell me “no” or “not yet” it is because there is a bigger better plan in action.
Faith Family and Feathers 