Hey guys! I hope all is well with you! I'd like to share a piece of my life with you!To make a long story short, I went to an O'Reilly Auto Parts store to have my wiper blades replaced and now have a cracked windshield. I won't go into too many details, but I am 99.99999% sure that the damage was incurred by the person attempting to change the wiper blade. This happened roughly 2 weeks ago.
So, needless to say, in the past few days, I have talked to the store manager, the district manager, and customer service...and have pretty much received the same treatment all the way around. When I say treatment, I mean... imagine being completely innocent, yet people are treating you like a thugged out, no good, convicted felon, con artist. Like you mean them nothing but harm! This is how I was treated. Sad, but true. Though I can continue to take this issue higher up the totem pole, Holy Spirit instructed me to, "Just let it go." When I heard that, I immediately tried to knock the thought out of my head! "NO, that can't be right! I'm almost in the position to have my windshield replaced! No, Nooo, Nooooooo!!!!!!!!!!" Hahaha! This made me even more frustrated because I knew this would be the right thing to do.
After praying with my boyfriend, Jonathan, I was led to begin reading 1 Peter, and "coincidentally," it lines up with and addresses this whole issue. Below are the links to some key verses for me at this time and how they applied to my life:
1 Peter 1:6-9 - You will be tested, but do not lose sight of who God is and where He is in your trials
1 Peter 2:19-24 - It's good to keep God at the forefront of your mind when enduring hard times. Jesus suffered for something He did not do but instead of retaliating, He entrusted Himself to His Father--GOD!
1 Peter 3:13-17 - It is good to suffer for doing good, if that is God's will. [I could have easily lied, schemed and manipulated in order to get the outcome I desired but chose to be a woman of virtue & integrity.]
1 Peter 4:12-19 - Don't think it strange or be surprised when you are tested, it is good to suffer for doing good, entrust you soul to your faithful God while going through it!
1 Peter 5:6-9 So be humble, consider God and pour out your heart to Him. Don't try to carry your own burdens, He cares for you and wants to help you! Watch out for the enemy, he's looking to destroy when you let your guard down, stand firm in your faith and pray for your brothers & sisters in Christ, know that they are experiencing sufferings too!
There are several instances in the Bible [including 2 Chronicles 10:4] where God instructed people not to fight, and they would obey, because I mean, let's face it, without God fighting with you, what good is fighting at all?!
At any rate, I have experienced many emotions/feelings in this time--frustration, pride, anger, unforgiveness, hate, hey... I'm just being real here! So looking back on it, I can see WHY God instructed me to leave the situation alone. It was really becoming a stumbling block, and it has taken everything in me to NOT react how the old me would react. Of course, I felt that it was not fair for me to have to pay for the repair costs since I was not the one who damaged my windshield. I mean, why should I have to pay for something I didn't do!? But you know what? Christ paid for something He didn't do as well. What He endured on the cross, and leading up to the cross, was not fair. Yet, He CHOSE to pay for something He did not do -- sin. He was perfect and sinless, yet He humbled Himself and accepted ridicule, toture, mockery, beatings, all for love.
I know that letting go of the situation is the humble way out, which is why I've had such a hard time. I am so prideful in so many ways, but I thank GOD for showing me the RIGHT way. A cracked windshield is not worth my life [holding on to my sinful pride], nor is it worth coming between me and God. I love Him more than anything on this earth, let a lone a car! So as I continue in this love walk, running the race of faith, enduring trials and tribulations, I find hope in knowing that My Savior has overcome it all. He has left His peace with me and has told me to not let my heart be troubled. So let's keep trusting Him, the author and perfecter of our faith!
❤ Kamaria
