Hey y’all! It’s been a crazy week full of adventures to say the least. It has been a great blessing to spend time with my family and enjoy being present with them. I have spent about 15 hours on the road this week and I am finally done with the driving! I am in Amarillo now, where I will be until my flight to Georgia August 3rd. Thank you all for the prayers and support!
So I had an interesting experience last week and I thought it was perfect blog material.
I was packing my truck down, ready to leave my wonderful safe haven
(San Angelo,TX). Early morning, and the Texas heat is already beating down on me. It must be in the 100’s already. All of a sudden the A/C in my truck goes out. I’m already drenched in sweat and behind schedule. I had a long trip ahead. I was a little frustrated, but quickly shifted to a good attitude.
“The enemy will not win today!”
I reminded myself of my warrior status and that I must be on high alert the remainder of this trip. Attacks are almost certain to happen. Not only attacks, but also tests of faith. How to discern the two is an art I have yet to master. I am getting better though.
“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.”
Proverbs 17:22
So I’m cruising down the highway, windows down, The Eagles Greatest Hits satisfying my soul with every beat and guitar solo. For about 3 hours life was good! I love the open road, and having the windows down was so much better than blasting the A/C. That beautiful moment came to an end when my truck overheated and rolling down I-20. I took the first exit I saw, and sat in the Walmart parking lot trying to compose myself.
“Warrior status Ryan, remember, warrior status.” I gave myself the pep talk and decided to fight.
So now I’m strolling through Walmart to get some antifreeze. I’m convinced its 200 degrees outside so the cool Walmart air is a treat. I put in the antifreeze and check a few things in my truck. It’s running fine but there’s an obvious leak. At this point I am soaked in sweat, and starving. So I hit up Chilli’s to eat and plan my next move.
I found a nearby mechanic, but they couldn’t get me in until the next day. So I leave my truck walk about a quarter mile to a shaded area where I can sit. At this point I’m pretty beat. I need another pep talk. I’m too tired to talk to myself, so I talk to God. We chatted for about 30 minutes and it was great. I decided to call a cab and get a hotel for the night.
So next I learned a valuable lesson. When finding a hotel, DO YOUR RESEARCH! After all I’ve been through, it wouldn’t be a good story without a sketchy hotel right?!
I’m dying of thirst and this place has no water. On top of that, it smells of fresh paint and cigarettes. So I walk to the Walmart across the street, praying I don’t get mugged. Well I didn’t get mugged but I was inches away from getting taken out by a car. I still don’t know how they didn’t hit me. Now I’m freaked out and on edge. This place is a jungle! Cars are flying through the parking lot, people are yelling, sirens everywhere and so much chaos.
Finally I am in Walmart, I’ve got my water and I’m looking for a checkout line that doesn’t have 100 people in line. Well there’s not one. I wait 10 minutes in the self checkout for a bottle of water. I’m dreading going back out into that jungle but it’s just as bad inside, I’m not made for the city y’all. So I rush outside and cautiously make it back to my hotel.
“Wow!”,
“Welcome to the jungle Ryan.”,
“Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.”
Philippians 2:14-15
All is good now, I’m chillin watching tv, thanking the Lord for keeping me safe and I’m ready for a good night of sleep.
The next day I felt much better. The Lord completely restored my attitude and I was able to think clearly. I told God I wanted to spend the day with Him. So we hung out all day. We had breakfast, walked 2 miles to a less sketchy area, had coffee at Barnes & Noble, walked around the mall, and had a good lunch. My day with God was amazing I was filled with peace and comfort.
I finally got the call that my truck was ready. I call a cab and I am relieved that I can get back on the road. The truck ended up costing $950, yes it hurt, but I kept a good attitude. I just knew if I kept a Christlike attitude through this it would be ok. So I’m back on the road, 2 more hours to go.
I am exhausted sweaty and ready for a shower. I finally get to my moms and all is well!
Cool story right? Well it’s not over, a couple days later I get a phone call. What a blessing it was. I’ll keep this anonymous and give 100% of the glory to God, because He is worthy! Anyways the phone call was to inform me that I had just been given a check for $1,000. Which is the amount I paid for my truck and hotel! I nearly shed a tear with that one! Thank you God! I was so humbled and felt so loved.
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.”
Philippians 4:8-9
God is God, but He is also your father, don’t forget that. HE IS YOUR FATHER, and He loves you! Unconditionally!
