It was the beginning of the month and we were preparing for the busiest shooting schedule we’ve ever had. Everything felt up in the air and nothing seemed to be finished. I was halfway through a four and a half hour round trip drive with Paislee asleep in the back seat. I was driving her up to Erica’s parent’s house the day before a full eight hour branding session with Babbo Italian Eatery. If that sounds like going out of our way for childcare, well – yes it is. But when it’s the only option (not to mention the BEST option – thanks Nana!) you do what it takes! About 15 miles outside of Payson, it happened. The unexpected. A total curveball that threatened to crush us – right before some of the biggest opportunities we’ve had to date.
We had been doing everything we could to prepare for the month of March in advance. Coordinating details for our branding sessions. Helping pair family outfits together for our lifestyle clients. Organizing childcare for our own kiddos and creating all of the content we needed for the month. It was crazy hectic. After I brought Paislee to Tina’s house, we still had work to do to in order to prepare for the full branding session the next day. What we couldn’t prepare for was what happened on the drive.
As I neared Payson, the transmission began to slip. I was driving uphill and there were no torques. The car struggled along losing speed every second. I pulled over to the side of the road. A million thoughts flooded my mind.
What do I do?
Is this for real?
I hate this car!
Why now!?
To be honest, for a few minutes I felt pretty sorry for myself. I’m just a small business owner trying to make things work, and now this!? While that was a natural reaction, it wasn’t the right one.
As I looked in the back seat and saw my sweet, beautiful daughter sleeping peacefully, it put a lot of things into perspective. She was without a care in the world. She was so at peace because she knew that she was with me, her dad, and that I would always take care of her, always watch over her, and always want the best for her.
It made me think of how often we react in a negative situation, without having that kind of perspective. How quick we are to feel sorry for ourselves or think of the worst outcome.
As Christians, Erica and I both find peace in the middle of chaos because of our faith. We realize that just like Paislee felt total peace because she was with me, we can feel the same peace because God has promised that He would always take care of us, always watch over us, and always want the best for us. (James 29:11)
Instead of reacting, I chose to be positive! I realized that getting upset wouldn’t fix the car. That spending emotional energy worrying wouldn’t make the outcome any different. I limped the car into Payson where a local shop did what they could to get it in good enough shape to drive home. Erica and I prayed, dropped it off at the dealership and waited for an answer.
In the middle of a crazy schedule, what had the potential to completely throw us off course did just the opposite. It built our faith. We chose to be intentional about not stressing over it and to focus on the other things we needed to accomplish. In the end, the dealership helped us get support from the manufacturer and they covered 80% of the transmission replacement cost. It was a total answer to prayer! The car is 6 years old and out of warranty, but they stepped up to help us out anyways.
Guys the point is, even if things hadn’t worked out that way – if we had been stuck with the whole bill – a huge cost we weren’t planning for – it still would have done nothing to worry, fret, and fear the situation. Expending emotional energy stressed out about something we had no control over would only do one thing – wear us out. It would rob our joy. It would keep us from delivering an amazing experience to the clients we needed to serve the very next day.
So the next time you find your self in a challenging situation, we encourage you to take a minute to stop and think about the way you will react. Will you deplete your energy and emotions over something you can’t control? Or will you choose to be positive, hope and pray for the best, and accept whatever curveballs might come your way?
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