God Cares About… Tires?

I was dreading today. Not because of anything significant on my calendar or anything of critical importance, but because I knew that today I could no longer kick the proverbial can down the road regarding something simple. Belinda’s car had a problem and it had been like this for around 8 months. The air compressor had been moved to the garage, and every time that she drove it, I would pump up one of the tires only to find it deflated in a day or two. I had to give in and have it fixed.

As with any story, there is some background information that must be known. First, we bought her car while living in Europe. Our move to Oklahoma was not in our plans. As such, we arrived here to discover the nearest dealership for her make of vehicle was an hour and a half away. Ugh! Who wants to drive that long to get a tire looked at? Secondly, I knew it would be costly. You see, this car was a special purchase. It was for Belinda in honor of putting up with 20 years of military life. It was my retirement gift for her. She was able to sit down at the dealership in Germany and order every little detail she wanted, as well as some items the salesman recommended. One of those things? You guessed it, high-end run-flat tires. Third, I tried to skirt the high cost by going online and finding a better deal than the one I had been quoted for the replacement. I was told it would be over $1,100 for both rear tires when I inquired at the dealership. My online searching was unsuccessful and I wasn’t happy.

Begrudgingly, I drove to the tire shop and asked them to please look at what I just knew was going to result in an ugly conversation about how much I was going to have to pay. I handed the attendant the keys and told him that I needed it fixed, acting calm and collected as if I was happy to be there under such circumstances. Within minutes, he came back and said, “You have a screw in the tire, but it’s in the middle, the best place possible to get something like this because we can easily repair it.” But it didn’t stop there, he went on with, “Additionally, your tires are all still good. There is no need for replacement at this time.” As I acted as if I already expected him to say this, he continued, “We will fix this free of charge for you, and it will be done within an hour.” Just when I thought things couldn’t get better, I looked out the window of the shop and saw a taco place across the street. I told him that we would leave the car and walk over for lunch and return when it was finished.

On the way out the door, I admitted to Belinda that I couldn’t believe what had just happened. It had never happened to us before. We had gone in for a car repair and received the most favorable outcome possible! An actual best-case scenario that rarely comes along in life.

As I gobbled down my tacos, I was reminded of something I had said from the pulpit many times in my life, encouraging people in their faith. It’s not profound or anything that you would find in a theology book, but it’s true. The saying is simply this: “If it matters to you, it matters to Him.” Because tires mattered to me today, God was interested in tires. Not only was He interested in them, but He was also interested in working through them, reminding me of how much He is interested in the quirky matters and the everyday things of life.

You know, far too often we forget how blessed we are to have a God not just for the big picture and the significant things in life, but also for the most minor things. Today, He cared about what mattered to me and about what was bothering me. Today He was the God who cared about tires.

Why was I surprised? In Luke 12, we read of His concern for the sparrows and of how He has numbered the hairs on our head. Little things. Unimportant things. Sort of like tires.

My friend take hope today in the fact that there is nothing too normal, too ordinary, or insignificant to Him. Remember that He knows and is aware, and it matters to Him. How blessed we are!