Letting Go

So, I've got a new job now, and I am making more money so, everything is better now. I mean all we really need is just a little more money right?? Shortly after starting the new job in February 2010, Cole's car decided to die. The engine blew. At a tick over 100k miles the engine gave it up. We had maintained it well. Cole was religous about oil changes. The car still looked like a new car. Through no fault of our own but, a factory defect, we now had to come up with several thousand dollars to replace the motor just barely out of warranty. How does that old phrase go, "It's always darkest before the dawn." We had a little bit of savings enough to cover half the repair and the remaining went on the credit card. Not a great way to start off. Looking back on it a year later I can see this was God teaching me to let go. Let Him take control. Trust that He knows what is best for us. I didn't really get that at the time.
Originally this blog was to be about the restoration of my 1968 Chevy Camaro. What happens next is what determined that the blog would cease to function in that capacity. Last February my Camaro was in a body shop having major cosmetic surgery to get it back into shape. I had owned it for a few years and had only driven it a couple of times before it all came apart for the makeover. I started feeling the Holy Spirit nudging me. I tried to ignore it but, the desperate situation forced me to at least listen a bit. I knew I had to give up this dream. We needed cash and quick. The thought of a few thousand dollars on our credit card was stressing us out. The problem was who wants to buy a car that is literally in a thousand pieces spread over a couple of different locations. I put in a call to the shop owner working on the car. I told him the situation and that I was willing to make someone a good deal. In a couple of weeks the car was sold for just a little more than what we needed to pay the credit card off. No interest or fees even accumulated on the card. A mechanic working at the shop decided I was offering too good a deal to pass on. Some might say this is just coincidence or luck but, I tell you this was God's way of showing me I could trust him. Cole's car was fixed, my garage was cleaned out, and while our savings was mostly gone we still had two cars to get to work with and no credit card debt.
I cannot begin to tell you the stress that came off of me when the Camaro was gone. I didn't realize the pressure I had put on myself to finish the project. Like most car projects, we lost a fair amount of money on it and I feel a bit ashamed of the waiste of resources, but the stress was gone. It was a stress off Cole's mind too. She wanted to be the supportive wife and back her husband's dream but, inside it was hurting her. She tried hard to share in the dream. More than once she was up to her elbows in grease. Did I mention what a fantastic lady I married!
Well, with this we were off! God proved to us through this situation that we could trust Him with our money and I thought that would be it. I showed God I was willing to let go of something that I had put before him in my priorities and now he'd be done "messing with my stuff." I was wrong. Once you give your heart to God, He takes it and makes it home. His Spirit was about to get me to do something that I would have sworn I would never do. . .