Praise God we were able to safely pull over to the side of the road. And, thank God for the blowout of a trailer tire instead of an RV tire. After I was able to view the damage, I started looking for the tools. I continued looking for the tools and they weren't in the back of our van by the rear door as usual. This lead to a road side unpacking session.
It was already hot inside our RV while driving as the RV's air conditioning doesn't work. Outside in the sun was miserable. Trying to figure out how to change the trailer tire with a van still on it, just added to my frustration. I was able to figure it out, find the tools and change the tire. During this time I was thinking, why me? Why on this hot day did we have to break down? God quickly interrupted my brief pity party with the thoughts of our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ. I admit, I felt ashamed that a flat tire got me so worked up.
Later that day we called a few tire shops and found one that could put our spare tire on the rim while we waited. They were short handed and one of the guys working in the front of the shop went into the back to get us on the road faster and avoid a long wait. I was very thankful as it had already been a long hot day. I shared the Gospel with the man who fixed our tire. He had customers waiting and sent me on my way with no charge. As I drove away, the Holy Spirit gave me the thought, that the blowout was God's way of directing us to a man who needed the Gospel. It's so easy to look at the day as my day, instead of a day that I have asked God to direct. Therefore, what may seem on the surface a problem, is really a unique opportunity to meet people we normally wouldn't have crossed paths with.
The trials and tribulations that I and most Christians in the U.S. face are trivial in comparison to the church in China , North Korea , Nigeria
The persecution that our brothers and sister face in many countries is much more gruesome than these examples. And yes, Christians today are being martyred. Please visit the websites below for more information on pursecution of Christians in the world. These site are a great place to stop by often and intercede with prayer.
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” 2 Cor. 12:9 – 10
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you.” John 15:18-20 NIV
God bless you all and thank you for praying for our safety.
-Christopher
