God is in the Parking Spaces

I try not to take my peaceful state of mind these days for granted. Blessed in many ways, there was a period in my life when my faith was not in a good place. Some sad events were going on that had me thinking I was being punished for some bad deed(s) I had committed somewhere along the lines of my life. I wasn’t even sure what the deeds were. I was caught up a depression, the likes of which I had never experienced.

There was a group of friends who saw me through this bad period. They shared their own experiences, strength and hope with me. Not necessarily church goers, they none the less had their core grounded in a power greater than themselves.

For a while, they were the source of my everyday strength. When I was down, they lifted me up. When I was fine, they encouraged me to grow. They hung out with me when I was depressed. I got tired sometimes of their relentless optimisms, but I kept coming back for more. I envied their serenity and peace of mind. They were willing to cede unmanageable parts of their life to God.

Little by little, their faith began to seep into my heart. My friends were living happy lives, though not necessarily problem- free. I was getting brave enough to give faith a new go.

English: Parking spaces, Moira They run parall...
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Around this time I owned a street front business with challenging parking. Many times, I would arrive with supplies to unload only to find no parking spaces available. One day I decided to ask God to have a space available to me when I got there. Miraculously, there was a space waiting for me, right across the street from my store. I thought hmmmm, probably just a coincidence. The next time I did the same thing. Prayed. Parking space again. Then, bravely, I started to ask for parking in other areas of the city. Again, I would almost always find a space when I needed it.

This tiny turning over was the sprout of my renewed faith. I slowly began to turn over (i.e. give up control of!) my slightly more annoying problems and ask for help. I didn’t ask that it be done my way. I didn’t have the strength for that and besides, my way was not working.  Slowly, my problems began to get solved. I really didn’t do anything but pray for help and WAIT.

It takes some self control not to force solutions. Personally, I like to be in charge and call the shots. But there is a calm and peace in not feeling compelled to solve every problem or climb every mountain. Letting my faith take over is a heck of a lot less stressful.

Today, my life is in a better place. It’s not always perfect (far from it!) but today I live day to day knowing that whatever life throws at me, things will work out if I just have faith. One of my friends once said, God never hurries but he’s always on time. I find that to be true time and time again.

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14 Replies to “God is in the Parking Spaces”

  1. Im working it Joanna! I sorta wish you still had that coffee shop, I’d come and have a breather there. I bet the atmoshere was awesome. Sometimes it is hard to remember the simple things we do make the biggest difference, thank you for the reminder.

  2. This is perfect, Jo, and just what I needed today. Like you, I always admire people who are able to “let go and let God”, never imagining that I could accomplish that myself. But I never really took into account all those little prayers that get answered everyday. Thanks for a new perspective!

  3. I like to be in charge too, but find it most comforting to know I don’t have to be and there’s someone better at it anyway. Not that I don’t struggle trying to take back my control. Perspective is a good thing and your perspective here is great. Thanks

    1. Good to hear from you! I love to take it back too, but it’s better when I leave it up to the big guy. Hugs!

  4. This was just an awesome post. So true how God will work if we just ask and have the tiniest bit of faith! Giving up the wheel that steers our lives is so key to our own recovery, let go and let God!

  5. This is absolutely beautiful! It brought a sunny calmness to my hectic day – thank you!
    I’m so honored you want to share on my page, too.
    I’m dropping you an e-mail today 🙂

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