Rained Out

Good morning! I hope your weekend was restful and your week is off to a running start.

This past weekend our church held a car show to build bridges to our local community and to raise support for our upcoming mission trip to India. Our first car show in June had been a big success with nearly 50 cars on display and a large community turnout. Based on the feedback we had gotten from the June event and the buzz around town with the upcoming show, I had very high hopes for the turnout this past weekend.

Before I go any further, let me explain one thing about serious car enthusiasts. If even one cloud is in the sky, the car enthusiast is not going to bring his beloved automobile out of the garage.

Well wouldn’t you know it? This past week hurricane Lorenzo hit the Gulf coast of Mexico and the Texas coast got deluged with rain. The highly anticipated car show had now become a not so highly anticipated car “wash.” Our expectations of 75+ cars ended up being 14 cars (some of us are rain or shine type people).

Life is like this sometimes isn’t it? We have high hopes and aspirations, but the end result falls short of our expectations. There is a verse in scripture that has always been a source of strength and a reminder of God’s faithfulness in times like these:

Romans 8:28 (NLT)

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

As I reflect back on this weekend I come away seeing something other than failure and disappointment. I see deeper victories that will have longer lasting results.

I saw bonds being strengthened within our church family. I was so amazed by the number and variety of people within our church family who gave of themselves to help with this effort. Some brought food, others cooked barbeque, others prepared plates, others passed out posters and others helped park cars. The sounds of shared laughter and the shared memories of being drenched at the car show will long outlive any possible memories of beautiful cars.

Additionally, we as a church family got to spend more quality time with those who did bring their cars out. It was a time to build relationships and connect with others outside of our church family.

This week you may be dealing with a dream that has not been realized or a plan that has fallen short of the intended goal. If this describes you, then take heart. Spend some time zooming out and looking at the bigger picture. What were the lessons learned? What were the relationships forged? What was the new skill set you acquired? Remember, God is not going to let those experiences go to waste.

Until next Monday, may God’s richest blessings be yours this week.

Carl