When I say goodbye to one year and say hello to a new one, I almost always have mixed feelings. If it hasn’t been a good year, I look forward to wiping the slate clean and starting over, hoping the new year will be better. If it’s been a good year, I find it sad to see the old year end.
At the close of every year, I’m amazed at what the Lord has brought me through – both good and bad. I’m thankful I don’t know ahead of time what the future holds. I think if I knew about the bad things, I would want to stay right where I was. If I knew about the good things, there wouldn’t be an element of surprise – and perhaps I would be less thankful – when those things happened.
For instance, at the beginning of 2008, I didn’t anticipate getting a new car by the end of the year. I didn’t think I could afford a newer car for at least 2 or 3 more years. My car was 15 years old and I’d had it for 12 years. I was hoping I could get a couple more years out of it. When I got that car, I said I was going to drive it until it fell apart. Well, it was not only starting to fall apart, it needed two major repairs. My mechanic advised me to get a new car.
Normally, I would get excited at the possibility of getting a new car, but because I had to get a new car, I was a less than thrilled. I liked my car. I was comfortable in it. It had been a part of my life for 12 years. It was like an old friend.
Needless to say, it got to the point where I had to make a choice. I called a friend of mine who is a car salesman and explained my situation to him. He encouraged me to come in and test-drive a car he thought I’d like. I did. It was a nice car, but I just didn’t have a good feeling about it. As it happened, another car came in as a trade-in the very same day. I wound up driving it back to work, taking it home that night and buying it the next day. I still couldn’t afford a new car, but considering the price was right and the condition of my old car, I couldn’t afford not to.
I still feel like I’m driving someone else’s car, but I’m sure in time, I will become more comfortable with my new car. It was one of those unexpected blessings for which I’m very thankful.
Did you experience an unexpected blessing this past year? I’d like to hear about it.