Flat Tire in a Foreign Country? Drive on Faith.
Our honeymoon in St. Lucia was epic on many levels. In some ways, that also included risks that many newlyweds probably wouldn’t attempt on their first vacation together out of the country. But James and I are the adventurous type, and perhaps this tendency only encourages a more healthy prayer life.
For starters, he decided to rent a car. That choice seems innocent enough until you consider that St. Lucians drive on the wrong side of the road. Well, to them it’s the correct side, but to us Americans, it’s wrong.
My heart did a little flip flop when we pulled away from the airport and started driving. Perhaps not helping were the crowded streets of Soufriere and the fact that the first intersection we encountered was more like a free-for-all since the street light didn’t work.
After that, our ride smoothed out, and James became a champ at wrong-side driving (with only minor reminders from yours truly to stay on the “other side”).
Perhaps now would be a good time to mention we rented a Chevy Spark. It’s a zippy little car, emphasis on little. My brother and I have a history of renting Sparks on our road trip adventures, which has been a fun experience, but this Spark didn’t know what it was in for when it got us honeymooners for passengers.
Narrow Streets, Drop-Offs, and Distressed Roads
The first few days, we managed to navigate the tunnel-like width of city streets and survive the bumpiest of winding mountain roads that hadn’t seen a grading machine, perhaps ever. James often honked the horn since there was zero visibility around some of the cliff corners.
We did fine, until our day-trip adventure from Soufriere to the capital of Castries. On the way back to our villa, we hit yet another rut, and about a minute later, something didn’t sound right.
I moaned. “I think we have a flat.”
James pulled off to the side. Now grant you, there really wasn’t a side, but at this point, there was a place where several other cars had parked on one side, basically creating a one-lane road. Right across from our resting place were the remains of an old junker car. We don’t believe in omens, but it was ironic.
“Well, I was going to teach you how to change a flat one day, so I guess today’s that day,” James said. How many girls can say they learned to do that on their honeymoon?
After switching a healthy tire to the front and moving the donut to the back wheel, we resumed our journey.
Here’s the kicker: We till had three days left on our trip, and the roads weren’t improving overnight. We had no cell service and no AAA, not to mention no second spare.
Don’t Wait for a Flat to Pray
We definitely breathed extra prayers every time we left our villa. There was also this plunging dirt road to a waterfall we wanted to explore that probably was a bad idea for us to drive, but we did anyway. This is a funny story to tell now, but we seriously held our breath more than once.
Most of the time, we’re not in a foreign country whispering prayers every time we hit the road. However, what if we approached our every-day lives with the same sense of urgency? When we’re comfortable with our circumstances and everything seems smooth, we sometimes forget how much we need God. But here’s the bottom-line truth:
King David helps remind me of my constant need for Jesus at work in my life. Time and time again, his Psalms refocus my attention to my dependence on God.
- “But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head.” (Psalm 3:3 NKJV)
- “For You are my rock and my fortress; Therefore, for Your name’s sake, Lead me and guide me.” (Psalm 31:3)
- “But I am poor and needy; Yet the Lord thinks upon me. You are my help and my deliverer; Do not delay, O my God.” (Psalm 40:17)
- “I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121: 1-2)
Before we end our time today, I want to share one of my favorite Matt Maher songs, simply titled, “Lord, I Need You.”
Lord, I need you. May that be our prayer, whether the road we’re traveling is turbulent or serene.
~ Kristen
