Oil Change

So I got to spend the long weekend in the U.P. of Michigan, a half hour away from the Canadian border. With the picturesque views, the impossibly fresh air, the "clear for days" skies and the warm, open people that live there, I was excited how God would turn that experience into a "60".

Instead He used an oil change. Yeah, at first I was a little disappointed too.

But this isn't about an oil change as much as Him changing me a bit. See, I needed a drop cloth or shower curtain. Got that? Drop cloth or shower curtain, walking into Wal-Mart, I knew that much. Why? To catch any oil drips that came from me changing my oil filter.

So I was in Aisles 6, 7, 8 and part of 9 looking for a cheap shower curtain or drop cloth. And kept looking. And looking. No luck. Of course, on a Labor Day holiday, the Wal-Mart was running on a skeleton crew anyway, so I kept trolling the aisles and was getting more and more frustrated. Quick side note, I worked at Wal-Mart for six years through high school and college, so I should know generally where to find stuff, right? But it just seemed like, really felt like, I wasn't supposed to find a plastic drop cloth or shower curtain. I didn't know why, didn't get it. But here I was in the shower curtain aisle, and they didn't have anything. Something was off.

That's when I got frustrated. And God told me to "turn around...look down".

I did.

God had shown me a row of paint roller trays. The idea was simple, instead of using a bulky cloth that would wrinkle up (and let the oil run down the crinkled channels), just use the paint roller tray to actually catch the oil, contain it. Very nice. Line it with a plastic bag and it'd be super easy to clean up. Huh...

So I was standing there, right in the middle of paint aisle of a Wal-Mart, and I closed my eyes and said, "Thanks for the lesson God...I get it." It wasn't about changing an oil filter, it wasn't about whether to use a drop cloth, or a paint roller pan or anything else. It was about me being open to Him, for me to trust Him. In all things, big and small. New and ordinary. Ok, I get it. Thanks.

Proverbs declares, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Makes it pretty clear, huh?

And after my experience trying to track down a phantom drop cloth, I really think God wants us to acknowledge him, even in our everyday things. Say, "Show me" and then to trust Him. It may sound corny or silly to ask God, "Where should I eat lunch today?" or "Should I get gas there?" or "Show me Your solution - drop cloth or shower curtain" because it feels like we're using God as a Magic Eight Ball, and that's not what He's about. He's sovereign. He's perfect in all His ways.

And the whole theme of the Bible is He wants a relationship with you. As a Father loves his child. And we need to trust Him, prepare for those lessons where we're standing in the paint aisle of a Wal-Mart, standing behind the high-maintenance lady at the grocery store or wondering, "What do I do with this mess in my life, Lord?" and hear His answers, His insight, His instruction. And trust me, most the time it's different from our assumptions and perspectives. Which is why we need His guidance.

Just be ready. Be open. Be listening. Be praying...hard. Mean it. Because more than likely he'll spin you around a bit and show you something exciting and "right" that you never would have figured out on your own. Even something as mundane as an oil filter change.