If you’ve been connected to this blog for any increment of time, you are familiar and well versed on my ongoing issues with the vehicles in my life. Here we are in the 23, and it is really trying not to present as my Jordan year. Nevertheless, on brand for me, on my way to the house of worship, with my mom in tow, my spare tire got a flat. Talk about the irony. I was able to move quickly and safely to the shoulder of the expressway. I called AAA. I texted a sisterfriend who I knew would be looking for me and my mom at church. She asked what she could do to assist. I asked her to come and get my mom. I shared my location via text and we waited. During our wait, we watched our church service online. It’s important to mention that prior to the blowout, I was sharing with my mom my hurt from a family situation. It was almost as though that wasn’t enough; my life navigation was amplified in that moment. On the brink of tears, I saw blue lights behind me. Dear God. In this time that we are living in (hoping to live), one only hopes that things don’t get worse…

The trooper took one look at the tire and said, “Wow.” He went on to ask if we had roadside assistance, and if we needed a ride to where we were headed. He shared that he would stay until the tow truck arrived. My sisterfriend arrived and took my mom on to church. About an hour later, AAA arrived, hooked up the car and took me home. When he unloaded my car, he noticed that he had a flat as well, but one that he could continue on with. I asked if he wanted some water or anything, and he said, “I could use prayer.” And so we prayed and he left. I went into the house, feeling like the tire, put Jonathan McReynold’s “God is Good” on repeat, wept and prayed.

Perhaps your “Jordan year” is not “jordaning.” Still, God is Good and still in control. Amidst the difficulty, it is imperative to look for God in the details. The blowout happened as I was attempting to exit the expressway. It was on my mother’s side, but both she and I were safe. I had a cell phone, which allowed me to communicate my whereabouts. Also, I’m blessed to have roadside assistance. The trooper stopped and provided assistance and not harm. My sisterfriend was able to secure my mom and get her to church. And in the end, I was blessed to encourage a stranger with said goodness of God. So yeah, even instead of giving the enemy credit, God allowed each detail to work in my favor. He orchestrated it all and He gets the glory. Further, He’s blessed my family with the means to take care of the spare while we wait for the rim which was causing the original flat to occur.

It is easy to look at the difficulty. In fact, our minds are wired toward the negative. Life requires us to be connected to the Source that has our very existence in His Hand. There is no detail that does not concern Him. There is no place we can land where He doesn’t find us. There is no experience that has flattened us such to the extent that He can not lift us again. So sure, I shed some tears and had a few moments of exhaustion from this and what I originally shared with my mom, but God has a way of bringing everything in alignment even amidst the chaos and the disheveled mess. As He provides grace to endure, let us show up to receive. It’s just that simple.

So here’s the thing. God is with me, as He is with you. In the hurt. In the disappointment. In the pain. In the wait. In the press. Psalm 139:7-12 decrees: “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.” We may be waiting for the light, but it doesn’t matter to God. God is present in the darkness and light and His presence ushers peace, manifestation and possibilities that man cannot manipulate nor control. And even as we wait, He allows us and empowers us to go on, sometimes with a flat, like my driver, but He remains with us.

Like a tire, He is outfitted to what we need and where He needs for us to go. He is designed for treading. He orchestrates His mercy so that we are able to maintain optimal safety and performance. He allows us to handle and maneuver through high curve stability and grants us the ability to hold to His grip in treacherous conditions. Best of all, with Him we never require a spare and we needn’t worry about His ability to endure. He is in the details. He remains in the details today, tomorrow, throughout your “Jordan year” and beyond. He’s just that kind of God.