Check Engine

This week has been crazy.  I bet you all think I am making this up.  But with each day, new craziness begins.  We are floating.  That is my happy in between of sinking and swimming.  I wouldn't say we are swimming.  That means that we are well organzed and have life by the tail feathers.  I wouldn't say we are sinking either.  This means I am eating twice as much cookie dough as normal and life has me by the tail feathers.  So, I like to refer to us as simply floating.  Treading water every once in awhile, but mainly just floating.  We are using every life saving technique we were taught in swimming lessons so long ago to get us from going under.

On the way to my sister's birthday party last night, we'd dropped one off at football practice, picked another up from a friend's house, and Coach was meeting us there.  We were pushing the time schedule, and on comes my check engine light.

NUTS.

I hate it when anything lights up in my car.  It  is as if I can actually hear the cash register dinging in my ears.  It always means money.  Money that I never intended to spend on my car.  And let's be real honest here.  I feel like if I have committed to driving an old mini van, the least it can do is run.  I am not asking it to be an SUV.  I am not asking it to even look nice.  I just want it to run.  Stupid check engine light.

I immediately got grumpy and started to panic. 

And then I stopped myself as we walked into my sister's party.  I said out loud..."God, I am so totally giving this to you.  Because if I try to handle this right now, I will sink."  It's like when you are floating and your legs start to sink.  You begin to worry about your legs sinking, which makes the rest of your body tense up and the float turns into you flailing around in the water trying to stay up.  (in a skirted tankini, I might add)

The thing is...there was not a darn thing I could do about my car at that point.  I could worry myself sick about how much it was going to cost and how we were going to get around with one car...or I could just take one step at a time and deal with it tomorrow. 

And guess what...the light wasn't on this morning when I got in the van to come to work.  I praised my ol' minivan for behaving and I thanked God for giving me some time to figure out what to do next.  I know the light will be back on.  I am not that dumb.  But I also know that giving that fear and worry to God gave me the ability to be present at my sister's party, and to be completely "there" for her. 

Sometimes it would be great to have a check soul light.  When we get all out of whack, a light would come on to remind us to check our souls with God.  Even we need maintenance sometimes.  Attending church, or bible study.  Reading the word.  Spending some time in prayer.  All things that will fix the problems that arise within us every now and again.  Have you checked your soul lately?

Have a blessed day all!
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