Being in Tune with the Holy Spirit
It was time for another Kalispel run once again. It’s always a big day. A two-hour drive, one way, along with many stops and a huge list of groceries and miscellaneous. While there is an enjoyment to getting out and a change of scenery, the size of the list and travels make it a challenge.
My Mom and I discussed the need to give the day to the Lord. I want to be in tune with the direction of the Holy Spirit as I go through my days. Too often after I go through my day and look back, wonder where I quit talking to the Lord in my rush.
Taking the time to pause and give the day to the Lord, I also purposed to listen to His direction. I wanted to feel God’s presence.
Walden and I left in the early light of morning, it was lightly snowing. The roads were snow-packed, so I did not drive fast.
Heading out of the Kootenai, much of the road is downhill. At some tighter curves, about 15 minutes from home, I hit a slick spot wrong and started gliding across the road where I did not want to be gliding! The van swerved one way, then another. We very nearly nosedived into the opposite side with a deep ditch, and at the last moment the van did a complete flip around backward and we flumped into our side of the ditch.
As I reached for the phone to call Hubby, a truck stopped. A young man from church with two other men I know from the community. They grabbed their tow rope and came to get me out. Looking under and around the van, they came to the conclusion that I could maybe just back up far enough to get out of the ditch at a place where it did not drop off so much.
Giving it some extra gas and a shove from the men it worked!
I was back on the road.
A quick walk around the van showed no damage . . .just some extra grass to take along. And probably no more than 10 minutes lost.
Guess I can go on to town.
I felt protected and blessed. God’s Presence.
Could have been so different.
Thank you, Lord, for bringing help and protecting us. It was a time to praise the Lord as we drove even more slowly down the mountain. It actually struck me as a bit humorous – God has ways of reminding us He really is watching over our days.
Onward
Once we crossed the bridge over Lake Koocanusa, the state highway was not so snowy – though I still dove well under the speed limit, as it continued to snow.
Just outside of Eureka we met a policeman who turned his lights on and began to turn around just as we got to him, so I pulled over to give him room.
He pulled up behind me!
???
I really did not think I was speeding.
My headlight was out. He took my information.
Walden thought the lights were pretty. Had me another good laugh.
I was given a warning.
It was a teaching moment of how policemen are set in place for our physical protection. Walden said he was more scared when the policeman pulled us over than when we slid in the ditch. No need to be afraid when we have not done anything wrong.
Pulling away, I really got to see the humor at the beginning of our day and had to chuckle.
I had been feeling the rush of the day – so much to do, so little time in the day.
The Lord had other plans for the timing of my day, and what we did. Because I had given my day to the Lord, I was totally OK with both incidents and seen it as part of the way the Lord was ordering our day.
Had this police officer not pulled us over and told me my headlight was out, I would not have known until it was too late to fix it. God’s presence.
Timing
So, on we went – still another good 45 minutes to Whitefish. There is a small thrift store there that I enjoy stopping at, but with my early start, they would not have been open. However, since we had a couple of delays, they were open.
I got a Broyhill couch. Small hole on the arm. Sits well.
Now to see if I can fit all my groceries around the couch in my minivan. The ‘challenge’ of blessings! Smile. We often do things hillbilly style.
Town
The day was quite late by then, got to Kalispel at about noon. We got some lunch and did more of our shopping.
With some thought, I decided I had better get my headlamp replaced on the van before going home. It would be dark for the whole 2 hours, with snow and deer so often on the road, I needed good lights.
With a couple of phone calls, I found a place that could do it right away.
Finally, quit putting stuff in my cart around 8 pm. Quite tired and dreading the snowy road that leads home.
Heading Home
To my delight, the roads were dry between Kalispel and Eureka. Fully dark, I realized it was time to get new eyeglasses. My glasses are so scratched that I had to tip my head up or down to see clearly – or wear them like a grandma. Wasn’t long until I began to feel like a Blue Heron with a kink in my neck. Ugh.
From Eureka on I had two tire tracks that were decent the 13ish miles to the bridge. So slower we go.
As soon as I hit the bridge it was packed snow and slick.
A long climb up the mountain in those conditions.
Going 20-25 mph, I was randomly slipping. I tried to keep a very steady foot and steering. The sides of the road looked all too close in the dark, late at night. Met only a few cars, so I traveled in the middle of the road to stay as far away from the mountainside cliffs as possible.
By the time I got to the top of that first steep climb, my heart was hammering more than it had when I landed in the ditch in the morning.
The rest of the way home went slow but uneventful.
Home is a blessed place to be.
Thankful for that.
Hubby helped unload the van, then I needed to sit just a bit to unwind. Crawled into bed just before midnight.
Who says shopping is not hard work?!
We know God goes with us wherever we go. Today I was blessed in that I was more in tune with His work in my life, rather than feeling frustrated with the detours of the day, I felt surrounded by His protection and care.
In the morning my warm fuzzy feelings of HOME were underlined by watching Walden feeding the wild turkeys some old bread crumbs, curious deer coming by, and the cat watching it all.
Home is such a delight
~ In His Hands,
Sheila
But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. John 14:26
