Once again, a news item got my attention this week. And it involved an accident on the water, again. We had discussions about what was happening and the story lent itself to some amusement on our part as we did some speculation about the whole story. We speculated without knowledge and of course did not get the story right. How many times do we speculate on what God means when He tells us something? We don't take the time to research and learn what God was showing us. We jump to conclusions because of our lack of knowledge of what He truly is wanting us to know and understand. Just go ahead and take the additional time to discover the truth before deciding/speculating about what we think is truth.
The news item was of a huge cargo ship that caught on fire as it was being loaded. The fire started on the 10th deck as crew members and local stevedores were moving cars, vans and trucks onto the ship. Two firefighters were killed and five others injured battling a blaze that began deep inside a docked cargo ship carrying more than a thousand vehicles, officials said Thursday. Responding firefighters found five to seven vehicles already on fire when they reached the 10th floor of the cargo ship. The blaze quickly extended to the 11th and 12th floors. Fire broke out on the ship’s 10th deck as its 28 crew members and local stevedores were completing the loading of more than 1,200 new and used cars, vans and trucks bound for West Africa. The firefighting efforts were being prolonged by vehicle gas tanks that continued to explode, adding literal fuel to the fire. Newark's fire chief says his department did not have adequate training or equipment to deal with the flames and that dealing with cars filled with gas on a cargo ship is extremely difficult.
What did we get wrong? Well, we speculated that the vehicles might be luxury cars coming to the USA. We thought that perhaps some were electric cars with batteries that suddenly explode into extremely hot fires hard to quench. Yes, we had fun with this story until we learned the truth and that people were injured and 2 lost their lives. Once again, we decided that we should wait to know the truth of the story before we tell untruths. We need to know what the Bible says about a subject before we tell someone something that might lead them astray as to what God desires us to know and do. I need to watch what I say, gather all the facts before I share something. Study my Bible, know what it says then I can share the messages God wants me to share, correctly and truthfully.
This bit of news led us to thoughts of something that happened many years ago--to when Garry had a car that was needing so many repairs (expensive!) that he decided to order and purchase a new car. A new car that would be the kind of car that a college-age young man could be proud to say "I own this!" It was a 2-seater sports car! A dream car! It was coming by ship from Germany. He was not going to have to spend all his money on repairs anymore! And while he was assured of its arrival, that assurance did not come true when the ship's decks of cargo collapsed on top of one another. And the hoped for car was in the destruction. It was never going to arrive!
The end of the story was that he decided to then purchase a different car--another sports car, this time an American model that didn't need to be shipped. And it was not a 2-seater sports car. It had 2 bench seats! And he drove it for several years and enjoyed his purchase. It was the car that we used as we began dating that eventually led us to an engagement and finally to getting married and to go on a honeymoon with it. Side note--it was then that we had an accident with it! And it was now no longer the dream sports car. Eventually we made the decision to trade it for something that a young married couple could better use to help them in the many moves that were ahead.
What if?
What if he had received the car that never arrived? I met Garry--my future husband--when he was asked to take 4-5 girls to visit a church about an hour from Union College. I was one of the girls. If he had had the 2-seater car, he would not have been able to take them. We might never have met, dated, and married. We probably would not have had our family of 4 sons who now are serving God and are leaders, working for Him.
What seemed to be a tragedy, probably was or could have been God's way of helping us get on track for His ultimate plan for us--one that we could not see then but can look back now and see the purpose for the car mishaps and change of our plans.
Just recently, we were dismayed that Garry's school job ended. It certainly wasn’t our plan! Why God? This is not what we were planning on! We didn't want to think that it was God's plan for us.
But it must have been! Soon after he was no longer driving the 8 hours a day for the school, my knees and hip pains and surgery slowed me down and greatly curtailed what I was able to do. I could not garden, mow lawn, take things up and down our stairs, etc. God, in His omniscience, knew that I was going to need Garry's help through this period. And he was available! I am so thankful that we can trust God when He says that He works for our good in all things!
We can know that He makes all things work together for the good to them that love the Lord!!! One of my favorites! Romans 8:28
