Domesticated Dutch-ish: What My Rental Car Taught Me...

Every place I called was quoting me 5 or 6 months out. Long story short, after calling several places, I finally got my car into a place down the street |Autobody & Paint Center in Englewood... if you are looking, JD's work was phenomenal!| and ended up in a rental car for about two weeks.

Those of you who have been reading for awhile know that change and I don't do well together. So, you can imagine a rental car is a bit of a... well, challenge for me. I hate not having my radio presets, my mirrors at the right angle, and I really, really hate having to fumble to figure out how to just get my DANG back windshield wiper to work!! And, let's not even talk about being that lady who pulls up onto the wrong side of the gas pump and has to get back in and turn her car around|doh.| I know that I am no automotive engineer but, come on, I really feel like all cars should operate remotely the same.

The perfect balance of "mom car" and "slightly trendy" and a whole lot nicer than my car - even with the base model the rental company gave me. Needless to say, I was willing to embrace the change if it meant driving around in a fancier car than usual.

I drove it to school that first day, feeling all fancy and stuff. I spent a day inside teaching and came out at the end of the day to leave. That also didn't last long.

I immediately panicked, not because I thought I was locked out of my rental car, but because I thought I was that awkward lady trying to get into a car that wasn't mine. But... then I peered inside and saw the remnants of my Starbucks latte from that morning. This was in fact my car.

So, I did what any logical person would do next... I pushed the unlock button again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again. The door remained locked. Shocker.

So, then I did what any logical person would do next... I cursed at my key fob because I was convinced the battery was dead. But, a small red light in the corner of the keychain proved me wrong. That little red light was an indicator of something much more annoying... I had left my headlights on all day and my car battery was dead. |Guess the rental wasn't AS fancy as I thought|

It was at that moment I had to buck up and figure this out like the big girl I was. I pulled out my actual key and made a plan: I was going to just use the keyhole on the door to manually open my car, pop the hood, and get someone much more adult than me to jump my car. Definitely would need help with that.

I wandered the entire car, checked every door - still nothing. Not a keyhole on any door. I even checked the trunk |this girl is NOT beyond crawling over the backseats of her car|. At this point some coworkers had come out to their cars to leave for the day and they even helped me search my car for the keyhole. Do you realize how dumb you sound when you admit you can't unlock your car? Seems like a good foundation for a blonde joke... until everyone who helps you look can't find a keyhole either. Our search got so desperate, I kid you not, we even opened the gas cap cover and kicked the bumper at one point hoping a keyhole would magically appear.

I was officially locked out. Like, really, really, locked out. WITH the car keys in my hand - there is a first time for everything.

I figured it was time to call the Roadside Assistance Service I got with the rental. Imagine the ridiculousness of the following conversation:

"I understand that but there is no keyhole on my door - I swear. I know it seems impossible but I even have had other people look at the car and none of us can find a keyhole anywhere." |Nothing like bringing other people down with you when you feel stupid, right?|

HOLD THE PHONE - Are you actually describing a keyhole to me? If I am not capable of finding and identifying a keyhole I should NOT have a drivers license.

What?!?! At this point I am thinking this lady is trolling me, seeing how many ridiculous things she could get this poor desperate girl to do.

"Now, tilt your head and look under the handle. |really, lady? I'm on to you| You should see a grove the width of your key, stick your key in that and pop. A piece of plastic should separate from your door revealing your keyhole."

Watch the video below to see it in action. I love that there is a video on this though because... come on, it means someone else has had the same ridiculous experience as me!

After getting into my car and the battery jumped I was off. During my drive home I began to think about how often my relationship with God is like that hidden keyhole and that conversation with the Roadside Assistance lady.

So often I can't see where my life is headed - I can't see the goal, the finish line, the "keyhole" if you will - and I don't like that. I search and search looking for something that, in hindsight, I will see was right in front of me the whole time. Instead of embracing the present, living in the moment, and trusting His perfect timing I become consumed with trying to see what God is up to in my life. This ultimately leads to paralyzing frustration that leaves me "locked out" of my own life.

God doesn't ask us to constantly search and analyze His plan; He does ask us to wholly trust Him with our life even in those moments where we can't see the whole picture - trusting that at just the right time the plastic covering that has seemed to be in place will be removed and our eyes will be opened. We will see that His plan was far more magnificent and beautiful than anything we could have ever designed ourselves.

Some days I am better at trusting in His will over mine but some days are hard. Especially days where I feel like He is asking me to do something that I feel is out of my comfort zone, my space of security - like trusting that nursing school will make Brady and me stronger or gaining the courage to ask a coworker to come to church with me.

If I am being honest, sometimes it feels like He is asking me to kneel on the parking lot of my life - all I see is discomfort when in reality He knows this is exactly what I need to do to get where I am going, exactly what I need to do to glorify Him, and exactly what I need to do to abandon my life to Him.

As Easter Weekend comes to a close I challenge us all to reflect on the following - What has God put in your life and asked you to pursue even if you can't see the whole picture right now? What uncomfortable things might you have to do to get you there?

But I also challenge you to remember, He keeps all of His promises - Easter being the best promise of all! This means keeping His promise to protect you even in those times where you feel you can't see it all.