My husband bought me a fitness watch.  I’ve wanted one for a while but had NO IDEA how to begin shopping for one.   There are so MANY and I am completely impatient when it comes to sorting through the hundreds of different styles especially with each of them having about two hundred features.  I knew exactly what I wanted so I listed off my criteria to my man and put him to work.  He loves the hunt.  He searched, googled, read reviews and spent a lot of time making sure it was exactly what I asked for. 

And then he ordered it.

My shiny new watch came in the mail and I opened it, ooo-ed and ahh-ed over it and handed it to my husband to set up. Does it sound like I’m spoiled?  Well, maybe a little.  He set to work customizing it to suit my exact needs and sent me out on my first run confident it would work beautifully.

And it did.

It took me a while, (for my new readers, I struggle with change), but I finally figured out how to “sync” it with my phone app so I could see my progress.  This magic watch records each run or walk including heart rate, pace and probably a few other things that I have no idea how to read.  I’ve run or walked with my watch for weeks since I got it and have thoroughly enjoyed it.  A few nights ago I was syncing it to download another physical activity when I accidently stumbled into a new part of the app I’d not seen before.  I was fascinated with it.  Let me share with you a personal fact, I am forty seven years old.  (My mind can hardly believe that, but my body tells me every day it’s true.)  Anyway, I noticed my app gave me something called “Fitness Age.”  I was totally intrigued, especially since it said I was a full SIX years younger than I actually am.

How cool is that??

Since I hadn’t noticed this feature before I started scrolling back on the app to see how it had come to that conclusion.  I went back a few weeks and found I’d started at forty eight years and had slowly worked my way down to forty one!  WOW!  I was pretty excited and have enjoyed sharing this information with my husband multiple times since I found out. 

He is thrilled, as you can imagine.  (Sarcasm)

I woke up last week and hurriedly got ready for work.  It so happens my husband was out of town and I’ve always wondered what I would do if I walked out to get in my car and it wouldn’t start when he wasn’t there.  Well, you guessed it that’s exactly what happened on this chilly weekday morning.  I had my water bottle in one hand, if you follow me on Facebook you’ll know I carry my trusty water bottle pretty much everywhere I go these days.  Anyway, I had my water bottle in one hand, and my protein shake in the other.  I threw my purse over my shoulder and headed out the door.  Once I had all of my “loot” in the car, I put the key in the ignition and turned it…nothing.  

Just that clicking sound that sounds like a death rattle for a vehicle.

I wanted to cry, seriously, I probably even teared up.  But, instead of having a meltdown like I WANTED to, I stopped and assessed my options.  Thankfully, my extended family live nearby so I got on the phone to one of them.  I explained my situation and begged for help.  My rescuer came to my aid, I was so very grateful.  Once he arrived we realized the jumper cables I had weren’t long enough because of the position of my disabled car.  Who knew you couldn’t put these new fancy cars in neutral if they wouldn’t start??  I learned that tidbit of information rather abruptly on this chilly morning. Again, I wanted to bust out crying, but instead, prayed, silently.  It didn’t take too long for my family member to get creative and “rig” up a way to make it work, and before long I was cranked and ready to go.  I won’t write here exactly what he did, just in case it’s illegal or something, but if you see me in person, ask me and I’ll explain!

My relief was palpable.

What I haven’t told you is the back story leading up to my morning dead battery debacle. 

Earlier that week I received a call from my youngest who’s a freshman, “Um, mom, I need money to pay for the rest of my college semester today.” 

Today? Gulp, okay.

The same day later in the afternoon my oldest son, who is a college junior (should be senior), called, “Mom, I need money to pay for the rest of my semester today.”

Of course you do, I thought.

Oh, and my daughter who is planning to be finished with college next year informed me she needed to sign up for next semester, could she have the credit card number? 

This happened while our car was in the shop with a broken clutch.  The mechanic couldn’t give us an estimate for fear of lowballing the price. 

Lord, mercy, please.

So back to my dead battery…I arrived at work, frazzled but glad to be there.  I sat at my desk and began to rehearse in my mind the events from the last several days.  I was still shaken from my difficult morning but in the fog of my thoughts I realized something, if this same set of circumstances had happened to me a years ago I’m pretty sure I would’ve run for cover, crying and angry about everything happening at once.  I would’ve felt afraid and hopeless and wondered how it would all work out.  

And then I would’ve had a huge pity party.

BUT, in this moment at my desk the Lord opened my eyes to something. I hadn’t done ANY of those things.  Instead I had prayed and He had provided what I needed when I needed it; sitting there at work was proof He hadn’t left me stranded. 

When my mom was diagnosed with cancer and eventually died, I thought the whole time she was sick that I would not be able to handle it if she passed.  But, you know what, I have seen God work again and again since she went to heaven in ways I never would have if she had stayed.  He walked me through the dark days…one day at a time.

And I survived.

I think I aged greatly through the whole experience, physically, emotionally and spiritually.  I grew to a deeper level of maturity and because my perspective was changed I handled these current events A LOT differently than I would have before that very hard season.  How could I know He can manage and help me overcome really hard things if I’d never gone through anything that feels bigger than I am? 

He takes over when I am spent.  I can only know this if I walk a road that leads me to my end; something that feels harder than I have the strength to bear. Then He reaches down and manages what I can’t. 

He is a faithful, good Father. 

I chuckled when I thought about what my fitness app might say if it could measure my spiritual age.  I wish I could go back and look at that stat over the last few years.  I would like to think it would show a steady, although ragged, progression towards maturity.

Far from perfect, but a steady determination to grow.

Oh, remember the day my car battery died? My husband called me from the airport later that same day; apparently he’d left his dome light on and his battery was dead too.  I just laughed, “of course it is,” I thought.  Thank goodness for a kind police officer who jumped his battery off and helped him to get home.

Everything did work out. 

Everybody is still pushing through school and the cars are all fixed for now.  I’m still figuring out all the different features my watch offers, now it even wants to monitor my sleep.  If only it could cook dinner then it would be PERFECT!