Vehicle problems or maintenance have been very abundant in my life lately...not only personally, but also for the campground, so consequently I find myself overwhelmed and mildly frustrated. I am thinking a horse sounds pretty good...maybe even a bike...but unfortunately I have heard horses are high maintenance and moody and a bike leaves nasty skid marks.
What I have been reminded of is that we should not put our trust in material things and find ourselves captivated and addicted to the material world. Every time something I value gets destroyed, vandalized or otherwise de-valued in some way, I find myself once again reminded of these truths.
This has been driven home with the transportation in my life over the past couple months. If it is not one thing, it will be another, and it is never ending. My hair is getting grayer and less abundant by the minute...and my sleep is being disrupted.
A couple months ago, the boys were on their way home from school and one of the hundreds of deer that regularly hog the road, caught Caleb by surprise and left its mark (literally) on our "new-to-us" Honda Civic. I had not even had time to think about getting comprehensive insurance on this vehicle, since we had only owned it a few weeks and I had called very quick to get the PLPD coverage. So...I had to fix this one without the help of insurance, and most of the work was done myself...(with a little help from a local body shop...and Rene' even pitched in one night when we were tearing it apart).
Just this past weekend, the Malibu found its way into a ditch, along slippery roads, as Emily was on her way to babysit one evening. Fortunately, insurance will cover this one...but it is totaled, so now we have to find another vehicle. The bad news on this vehicle is that I had just got it "up to snuff". Had it in the shop to repair a couple issues I could not deal with and I had gone through and fixed a few minor items and performed regular maintenance just a couple weeks prior to the accident. But, moth and rust, with a little help from us...are destroying.
The good news: In neither case were any of my children harmed at all. OK...Emily did have a slight bruise and Zack still sees deer flying past him on a regular basis (but his drooling and twitch are getting much less pronounced). Seriously though, I thank God for His protection on my family that occurs regularly as they commute 30-40 miles daily, back and forth...but especially for the protection that occurred with these two accidents.
Here is the lesson to be learned, and of course I am preaching to myself here, to once again get this into my brain: In Matthew 6: 19-21, Jesus tells us that the treasures we accumulate on earth are susceptible to moths and rust, but the treasure we store in heaven is safe. He also notes that where we store our treasure is where we store our heart. So, how do we go about storing up treasures in heaven? Making deposits in people, loving and caring for people, being more concerned about people and their future in heaven...than stuff.
great blog dad... so sorry any of this had to happen, but yes you're right, there are definitely things to be thankful for in all this and i keep reminding myself that too. love you love youuu!
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