In my purse, I carry a few pictures of a blown out tire. Let me first tell you about my purse before I explain these pictures.

IT’S ALL IN THE BAG!

My purse is my life! No matter where I am, as long as I have my purse, I feel that I am fine. I carry everything that I need to survive. Some women carry purses that coordinate well with their outfits. Their purses may perfectly match their shoes. It’s their accessory that compliments their entire fashion statement.

I rarely attempt to make a statement with fashion. In fact, I am not very fashion conscious, nor do I have a fashion flair. No fashion sense whatsoever. I don’t even care about name brands (exactly what is a Coach?).

Regarding my purse, some may gawk at how ugly, or plain, it may be. But it doesn’t bother me because it serves its purpose. I’m a practical person and my purse is just like me. It serves a purpose. And so does the contents of my purse. I have to tell you that to some, it may appear that I’m lugging around a bunch of junk. But it’s not junk at all to me. It’s my stuff!

STAYING GROUNDED

So, why do I carry pictures of a blown out tire in my purse? What practical purpose does it serve? Well, the pictures are of my tire. Not just any blown tire. In May 2002, while on vacation, I experienced a very frightening blowout as I drove to St. Louis from New Orleans with my children.   Looking at those pictures simply keeps me grounded. It keeps me humble. It reminds me how blessed I am and it brings me to offer God more gratitude and praise. Every time I come across the pictures, I say, “thank you, Lord!”.

GROUNDED VS. NO CONTROL

These pictures remind me how it is to be out of control……..both literally and figuratively. My tire blew on I-55 North, just outside of St. Louis. I had absolutely no control of my vehicle, nor my own life, or that of my kids. I was totally helpless! It was a horrible feeling, particularly since I am an admitted control freak. I thrive on being in control.

As we zig-zagged across the road, I first thought that we would die. I thought that it was over. I thought that our bodies would soon be splattered all over I-55 on that warm Saturday afternoon.

PASSION FOR LIFE

I wanted to panic, but I couldn’t. I didn’t. Something was “keeping” me. Other than exclaiming, “I’m out of control!”, I did not lose it. I did not freak out. And this was quite a feat for me because I am an extremely emotional person, but like many, I tend to do well under pressure. I shifted into survival mode. I wanted to live. I wanted us all to live. The protective lioness in me just could not accept the idea of my children being killed. I knew that their destiny was not in my hands, and my yelling that I was out of control was an acknowledgment of that fact. It was my calling on God to save us.

Being one who does not easily give up on anything, the lioness quickly roared within me and did the most natural thing ever. That was to reach out of myself and pray! I sighed, “Oh Lord, please help us!”

ANGELS WATCHING OVER ME

Suddenly, and miraculously, just as quickly as that tire blew and I lost control, my hands were mystically and mysteriously guided to navigate my van safely to the side of the road. It really felt as though we were lifted up and carried to safety!  I knew then, just as I know now, without a doubt, that it was God and His angels who spared our lives.

MY LIFE WAS LIKE THAT TIRE

My life at times have been out of control. I’m not perfect, and I’m certain that some time in the future, I still may rear out of control. The pictures remind me of that. The pictures tell me that I can still reach out of myself and cry out to God, “Oh Lord, please help me!” and anytime, for any reason.  And He does, and He will.

Have you ever felt out of control? I’m not talking about a blown out tire, but in your life? See, for me, the pictures of my blown out tire can easily be replaced with a picture of me weighing close to 300 pounds! OUT OF CONTROL! I’ve lost a good bit of that weight over the last 2 years, and though I’m not where I want to be……yet……I know that for most of my life, I’ve been OUT OF CONTROL!

Those pictures can be replaced with a snapshot of all of the years of my life that were wasted by me not knowing who I was, nor what I was born to do. Of me not fulfilling my mission. My assignment. We all have a purpose, you know. We all should be on our missions. We all should be completing our assignments.

I can add in the time in my life when my husband and I separated in our marriage. Our lives were OUT OF CONTROL!  I must also throw in there the pictures from our devastating losses due to Hurricane Katrina.  Total loss of control. If that wasn’t enough, we lost the home that we purchased after Katrina.  All of these experiences gripped me with depression.

I’m so thankful that God never left us through any of it.  In fact, He restored everything.  Our marriage, our individual lives, and even the home we lost. He’s returning us back to it.

WHEN WE LOSE CONTROL

When we lose control, we are not at our best. We feel miserable. Nobody’s happy being out of control. No one enjoys it. There may be quick thrills, a rush of excitement, a hint of instant gratification. But what about after the rush?  The let down can be quite devastating. Once reality sets in, the truth can slap you fiercely.

When our lives are out of control, we not only hurt ourselves, but others around us. And that’s usually the people who love us.

“OH LORD, HELP ME!”

Don’t you think that it’s time for you to face the fact that there are some areas in your life that you would like to bring under control? It’s time to reach out of yourself, and reach up. Call on the Lord to help you. Believe it or not, the quickest way to gain control is to realize that you must relinquish control. Sounds crazy, huh? But it’s true. We have to realize, just as I did, that it’s out of our hands. We can’t do it on our own. No matter how much you try. No matter how confident you are in yourself. No matter how much knowledge and intelligence you may have. The bottom line is that we need God, who has ALL power, to enable and empower us to navigate our lives smoothly. We can’t do that when we fail to look to Him for our strength and guidance. When we depend solely on ourselves, we will continually steer out of control.