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Gifts; A Flat Tire

"Becca, you know your tire is flat, right?"

Right... No, I did not know that. In order to know my tire was flat I would need to be an observant human being about such things. But there it was. Quite flat. Stink.

The next day was Sunday so my friend offered to pick me up for church. Our church starts at 10:00am. She showed up at 10:04.

Stinky stink.

I am never late. (When I say I am never late you may be rolling your eyes but the real truth is that in order for me to be late something must go drastically wrong.) So we walk into church and you can tell the faith family is relived that we're alive. After the service people want to know what happened and by the end of this Sabbath everyone knows I have a flat tire. (When I say everyone it's not an exaggeration, I'm a member of a pretty small church.)

Four men offered to change my tire. That means four wives were willing to come over, some with tired children, to wait while their man changed my tire.


And though I had been pretty annoyed about the whole thing (flat tire, being late, not being able to do something myself) I had to thank God because through the gift of that flat tire my church family reminded me of how loved I am .

As a single woman who lives alone I am very independent. I have to be. No one else is going to pump gas or call the hydro company about the messed up bill or plan what to make for supper. So I do it. And it's fine.

But I cannot do everything and that is why God has gifted me with people who will notice that my tire is flat AND people who are able to change it. In the church we all have something to give and something to take. I much prefer to be the giver and not the taker but that's not how it works. We are meant to work together. Perhaps you are a giver when it comes to greeting on Sunday morning but you are a taker because someone else spends their time keeping that church's finances in order. It could be anything.

I am thankful that I have so much to give. But I am also thankful I can't do everything because then I wouldn't need the church and my pride would grow.  

I am also deeply thankful for my church family, that they are here for me and for each other. We are a family. They are even willing to kneel in the dirt in their Sunday clothes and change my tire.


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