My son was home from Japan and the family went in two cars for a family getaway four hours away. With us were an infant and a toddler. The temperature was over 100 degrees. One hour and a half into the trip the ac went out in the car with the kids. They started screaming in their car seats and we were worried they might suffer from a heat stroke. We stopped to move the kids to the car with the working ac and the men went in the car without the ac. The heat was brutal but the men arrived at our destination drenched in sweat but in good spirit. The brothers chatted the whole way while dad sat in the back enjoying watching his sons in their solid relationship.

On the way back, we couldn’t believe the ac in the car with the working ac stopped working. What would we have done with two cars without a working ac had we not follow God’s prompting to rent a car as a backup. So this time we were like pros in switching the kids to the third car, and everyone took the new challenge in stride. Tempers didn’t flare up, we didn’t waste time complaining, we focused on our time together and praising God for family and how we were stronger together than alone in solving life’s challenges.

What a lesson this experience was to us that regardless of our plans, life happens with all its unexpected twists and turns. What we do in response has the opportunity to break us or to bond us with memorable stories we will share with the kids when they get older. How did the adults respond? Our responses reveal our values, our faith and our expression of God’s image to the world.

When I pray for you I “hear” a victory song, I believe in you because I believe in the power of God’s Word in you when you put His Word into action.

Love from Anita Carman