A few days ago as I got ready to take my daughter to meet her dad, I got in the car and started it and it promptly shut back off. I realized I was going nowhere. I quickly changed plans and had him meet us at home. Upon trying to start the car, it still wasn’t working. He managed to push it onto the street, so that we could get help from our neighbor to jumpstart it.
I called my trusty dad who listened, but wouldn’t have been able to get to me quickly – he suggested I call my uncle, who’s a mechanic. He couldn’t get to me right away either.
My neighbor came with his truck and cables and tried to jumpstart it. They worked for easily half hour or more in the cold, even going to the store to buy heavier cables as they thought that could be part of the problem. Slight improvement, but not enough to get it started.
When my daughter’s father was ready to leave, he offered to push the car back into the driveway as I live in an area where cars can’t be left on the street overnight. As I got in to steer, and he got ready to push, I see my other neighbor (son in law of the earlier neighbor) running towards us to help. He jumped right in and started pushing and attempting to diagnose the problem.
I was grateful before, but in that moment my heart was filled with even more gratitude. This week made 4 years since I moved into this home, and this in itself was a Faith house for me. But God knew exactly what He was doing when He motivated me to start looking at a time when I was not even in a position to buy, asking me to trust Him. He knew I would need not just a nice house, but good neighbors as well who would look out for me.
I was also thankful at the time my car battery chose to die. Just a few days prior, when the temperatures were in the single digits, I had to go upstate NY, and there was no trouble. Instead, it died in my driveway when I had no urgent meetings and no where I had to be. My uncle came the next morning with battery in hand and replaced it within a matter of minutes.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the seen and unseen things you protect us from. Thank you for good neighbors who are willing to give us a hand when we need. Help us to be good neighbors as well, sharing the good news. May your love be apparent in the type of neighbors we are.
