And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 NKJV
Last Tuesday, my fiancée, Becky, and I ran off to get married at a harbor on Tampa Bay. The next day, we took off for our honeymoon in St. Augustine, Florida, where I had reserved a hotel room with an ocean view. I asked Becky if we could take her car on the honeymoon since hers is silver and mine is black. I just thought silver was more appropriate for a wedding and honeymoon than black.
Wednesday morning, we left for St. Augustine when we saw the oil light flickering and realized the car was due for an oil change. We stopped at one of those quick oil-change places, thinking a simple oil change would fix it. As we pulled into the lot, the engine started knocking. After the oil change, as we drove a few more miles, we noticed the knocking was not going away. We searched for the dealership to have the car looked at, hoping we would not be set back too much. I have waited 60 years for a honeymoon, so I did not want any more delays.
However, the car never made it to the dealership on its own. It bit the dust and had to be towed. Waiting for the tow truck and then for the car to be looked at had already set us back a few hours. Now, how much was this going to set us back financially? Were we going to have to get a new car? Were we going to have to cancel our trip?
Strangely, the possible financial setback did not scare me. Getting married made me realize it’s not my money anymore. Also, for years as a bachelor, I have seen God put money in my bank account and take money out. I knew from experience that God had a plan.
I remembered when I got sick in 2009 before I had good health insurance, and a friend gave me a side job where I earned way more money than my medical expenses and ended up ahead financially. In 2015, I had substantial credit card debt, and then the church I was working for as a Bible worker had to let me go. Long story short, I was getting paychecks from my new Bible worker position before I even got my last paycheck from the previous church. By Thanksgiving that year, I had a new car and all my credit cards were paid off. Once again, what was supposed to be a setback actually helped me get ahead.
I assured Becky we would be in St. Augustine by early evening. We rented a car and were on our way. On our drive, the dealership called with bad news: the engine was ruined! But they quickly followed it with good news. Because of a recall, the engine was still under warranty and would be replaced with a better, rebuilt engine at no cost to us! There would be minor items surrounding the engine we would need to pay for, but the big picture was that we were getting a rebuilt car that would be much better than before at a very minimal cost.
We also got to our hotel in St. Augustine in time to enjoy a delicious dinner at a nice romantic restaurant before taking a romantic walk along the Atlantic shore.
Meanwhile, Becky and I were impressed by how each other handled the car situation. Instead of panicking, we prayed together and trusted God. We praised God that a few hours’ delay turned into us getting a better car. What we thought was going to be a no-stress, relaxing day actually turned into an afternoon of split-second decision-making: how to handle the car, how to get a tow truck, and whether to get a rental car or hire an Uber to take us back home to our other car. Since we were lost in the middle of nowhere, we had to decide where to find a rental car. By both of us going to God first, we worked everything out smoothly with no inconveniences other than a slight time delay. We even ended up making our own inside jokes about the situation!
Sure, I was a little annoyed that the romantic honeymoon I had been waiting 60 years for was being delayed. Being stranded in the middle of nowhere without a car was not how I dreamed of spending my honeymoon. However, on the way home, Becky and I agreed we were actually glad it all happened! It gave our honeymoon and marriage more meaning. It cemented my faith that our union was meant to be.
Why? Because if everything had gone perfectly and smoothly, neither one of us would have known and appreciated how well we worked together under pressure. All we would have known was that we could enjoy beautiful walks on the beach together. Now we know we can handle potentially stressful situations with the same peace, love, and even humor we share on a romantic beach. Having weathered that storm so well together made our romantic walk on the beach even more meaningful.
Be careful asking for Jesus to calm all your storms. Sometimes it’s the wind in the storm that gets you exactly where you need to be. Those storm winds are not always setbacks. With God’s grace, they are progressing. When I got sick in 2009, what was supposed to be a setback was actually financial progress. It happened again when I lost my job in 2015. And last week, what was supposed to be a setback on our honeymoon turned into not only financial progress, but also a deeper love, respect, and appreciation for each other than we could ever have experienced just walking on a romantic beach.
