November 10th | Previous Challenge Entry

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TITLE: November 10th | Previous Challenge Entry
By
05/27/05
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November 10th began like most of my birthdays that I can remember. It began miserably. The fact that it was dark and gloomy, rainy, and cold did not matter so much as my friends not being able to come over. Right from the start, I felt as if my special day was unimportant. Everyone else had more important things to do. Actually, since it was a Wednesday, even we had to hurry through my special breakfast so I could go to my piano lesson.

My mom drove me, and I was probably already tired and cranky. All I specifically remember was that it got worse after the flat tire. The van started shuddering as we started up the hill. Mom managed to pull off onto a side road. I will not admit I felt like crying then- I had turned sixteen. I was a man. Fortunately, friends from church lived on the road- did I mention the end of it? We walked down, borrowed their truck, and got to the lesson somewhat late. At that point, I did not mind only sitting through half a lesson.

We hurried back to the van after stopping briefly at home. We jacked it up without much trouble, removed the hubcap and all but one nut. The last one would not budge. We tried everything. The nut stripped no matter what we did. I wanted to call a tow truck. We had to leave the van, still unable to get it off. We had my birthday dinner; I opened presents; and then we went back to the van again.

It was raining again. Dad had come home and, of course, he had to get that nut off himself. A man who lived on the road, I still do not know who he was, helped. We spent what felt like hours, cold and miserable hours, of wrenching, twisting, and then even chiseling. They eventually pounded and peeled the nut enough so it came off. I still have the mutilated thing- I would show it to you now if I could.

What is more important, however, is showing my hard and selfish heart that God had to break that day. I look back now and I see how long He had to hammer at me, how many layers he had to strip back before he could pull me away from my selfish way. While I thought I was becoming a man, I was really only a spiritual infant. I was clinging onto my physical birthday, when God was trying to help me grow in Christ.

Let me just say, if you are a stubborn nut as I was then, watch out. There is a Heavenly Father far more determined than my dad was, who will not rest until He has broken us from the wheels of our lives and lifted us off to a much more important purpose and growth. I have a beat up reminder that He does- I wish I could show you.

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