A lesson in Faith from a Ford Fusion

So I take my car to the dealership to get an oil change and I mention that one of my tires has been saying it needs air even when I put it in but it hasn't gone flat. So we get there and the guy is like the whole side wall of your tire is cracked and there is a nail in it. The fact it didn't blow out is a miracle they tell me. So they tell me than can patch the nail, but that the wall of the tire could fail and I should know that. They tell me they can do 1 tire, 2, 3, or 4. Now I should tell you those tires have been on my car since I bought it (its at about 40,000 miles and I bought it with 37  agree to fix it but they say they don't have the tires and will send me home in a rental until tomorrow. Tires are expensive and that sucks but I decided to do all 4 because I needed them anyway in the next 5000 miles. So they call me today saying something happened and they can't get my tires until tuesday but they will give me better tires and charge me less if thats ok with me. can we talk about God working things out. also the guy who helped me yesterday used to work at Miami hospital as a scrub tech for like 20 years and knew exactly what I was doing as a PA student and was such a help. He kept saying "everything happens for a reason"

I gotta tell you friends. Just this morning I was thinking about when I got the car... and how God worked out me getting a really nice car at a crazy low price and worked out all the details. I have to tell you, I'm spoiled with the car He gave me and I realized that yesterday as I drove away in my rental 2013 ford focus. I realized the difference in the leather in the car, the difference in the size, how smoothly my 6 cylinder sports car drives.  I've offered to trade it in for a less expensive car countless times as I sometimes feel guilty for having such a nice car when people don't have food, or clothes or homes. But yesterday God showed me how that was a gift He gave me, and it's not wrong to accept a gift from my heavenly Father.  I was thinking as I was driving this morning that I missed my gift and couldn't wait to get it back from the dealership. I thought about how God knew me when He gave me that car- He knew me better than I knew myself because the car I affectionately call Grace was not one I thought I wanted at all and yet God was so clear that that was the car and this was the price and here's someone to buy your old honda civic. 

So this morning when my phone rings I'm worried because it's a number I don't recognize but I know its from where the car dealership is. It's a gentleman named Anthony who tells me my tires (which were going to cost me $745 for 4 (hello sports car tire price)... that they weren't available until Tuesday (let me tell you how much my schedule wouldn't allow me to make it to the dealership by 5 on Tuesday). I took a deep breath as Anthony continued. He goes on to say they are going to upgrade my tires for free, not going to charge me labor or to mount the tires, and they are going to let me pay $700 for 4 tires that are over $200 each. 

In what world does that happen? 

Let's recap:

1. My original tire should have blown out. Getting to the dealership was a miracle.

2. The tires I picked they were already giving me a deal on 

3. They are giving me better tires for a lower price. Seems backwards. 

And it was as if this whole time God has been saying to me : LOOK I show you time and time again I know what I'm doing. You seem to have forgotten. Let me just remind you that I can work miracles big and small. I have never forsaken you. 

And my heart just replied: Father, forgive me. 

If the God of the universe can work out my tire situation, which lets be honest in the grand scheme of the worlds problem is so minor, than how much more can I trust He is going to work out my job situation, our living situation, my husbands golfing, ect. If He has proven faithful in the small things, how much more can I trust He can do the bigger things. 

So today I'll have Grace the Ford Fusion back. 

But more importantly today I was reminded of Grace. I was taught thankfulness. I was reminded to have Faith. 

A very unexpected lesson of faith from my Ford Fusion

Wrong Numbers

Hello friends,
It's been a bit of time, but I have been busy with ER and studying and life really.

God is still teaching me about thankfulness this year... and specifically humility lately.

I had a funny story so I thought I would do a quick post.

So as a PA student soon to be PA I have been applying for jobs. To be honest I've only applied to ones I've really wanted and there really has only been one job thus far I really wanted. Sure I've talked to a few people who have mentioned some options to me, but I've been praying for direction and clarity. So I e-mailed a gentleman about this job a while back, and I don't really hear much, but I figured well I'll follow up because it sounds like something special.  When I do a conversation is started. Phone calls, text messages, e-mails are exchanged with questions being asked of me to figure out how much I want to make, what my experience is, what languages I speak and such. All of these questions culminated in what I hoped for : We would like to interview you on Saturday.

A second gentleman for this office contacts me by e-mail this morning stating he was given my resume and has been trying to call me but it's not going through.

my first thought was: Is something wrong with my phone? did my resume not e-mail correctly? The idea that something on my resume could be wrong after how many times I had read it and edited it was not a first thought in my pride.

but what was really the problem: my number was incorrect on my resume.

After going back through I still can't figure out what happened because when you open it on my computer the number is correct, but when you "quick view it" (sorry windows friends this is a mac feature) it's wrong. An extra 1. A mistake. And as to how this happened I have no idea but honestly it's neither here nor there. The truth is mistakes happen, no matter how many times you proofread your resume or how many other people you have look it over.

And this extra number, this mistake, well it's kind of like life. Mistakes happen no matter how much you try and prevent them but I believe in a God who makes messages out of messes and who loves me no matter how many mistakes I make.

I should tell you I was completely embarrassed at this incident. (not quite as embarrassed as in the fourth grade when my pants fell down in front of my class, but perhaps a close second.) There was no way to explain it, and all I could do was take responsibility for it that no matter what happened I failed to get an accurate number transmitted.

Thankfully God is gracious, I was e-mailed of this problem and asked to call or send the correct number. Grace. 

It would have been easy for the mistake to have ended communication, but it didn't. And while I will probably apologize a couple more times for this with a genuine sorrow for the confusion, I'm thankful. I thankful that the God of the universe is so patient and caring and kind that even when I mess up, He loves me just the same.

I called, apologized, and talked with the gentleman. He made a joke about it, but was extremely nice. Extremely kind. He showed me grace and even if He doesn't hire me I'll always appreciate that.

Grace. 

Yesterday was a demonstration of that when after almost 2 years my first dermatologist biopsy results came back benign. A miracle as I had been told "surgery was coming" and yet we prayed. My husband prayed. My friends prayed, I prayed, and God answered.

So to the wrong number: you better believe I'll self e-mail my resume to double check probably for the rest of my life, but will I ever be perfect: no. I'm human. But I have the creator of the universe directing my steps, and showing me mercy. I did of course read the whole resume very slowly one more time before sending an apology and a corrected copy.

Hopefully the job works out despite the mishap, as the more I pray about it the more I feel like this could be it. It's where we want to be, doing what I want to do, giving me an opportunity to educate patients, and allowing me the ability to learn from a large practice of doctors and other PAs. If I learned anything in ER is that no matter who your patient is there is a need to meet them right where they are and love them in their brokenness.

Isaiah 41:10 -Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Ill accept His plea to fear not. I'll accept humbly the responsibility for my mistakes and I'll be thankful and count it as joy the lessons He is patiently teaching me. I'll remember that no one ever actually died from embarrassment and that if God has a plan sometimes it's not just a plan to get me to a destination sometimes it's a plan to teach me a lesson or two as well.