I’m telling the story wrong.

There are too many people telling me that I did a great thing. No, I didn’t. GOD did this.

The facts are these:

1. I know from driving undependable cars. In my younger days, I was very skilled at driving the lead tow car, pulling my dad as he rode in the dead vehicle being towed. Often, the dead car was MY car. I don’t need the Mythbusters to prove that it is plausible to drive 20 minutes with a strip of pantyhose functioning in the place of a broken fan belt in a 1973 Buick Century. I know VERY well the feeling of getting behind the wheel of a car, key in the ignition, praying “please let it start this time, Lord, PLEASE.”

2. On a Thursday night, I heard about a dad being stranded at Taco Bell with his toddler and preschooler. Stranded by an overheated car. Took me right back to the towing memories.

3. The next Friday morning, I wrote three things in my prayer journal: 1) Lord if there’s some way for me to help them get a dependable vehicle, please show me how. 2) Even if it’s my van, Lord and we end up somehow getting another vehicle. 3) I don’t know where this prayer is coming from Lord, but I’m praying it anyway.

I believe the Lord led me to pray that prayer:

(We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.) Romans 8:26b

4. That night, my husband was rear ended in my van on the Florida turnpike and no one was hurt! That wasn’t what I had in mind when I prayed that morning, but . . . okay.

5. LOTS of people gave me LOTS of advice and help over the next week.

6. THE INSURANCE COMPANY TOTALED MY VAN. THAT was it. At that moment, I had NO VEHICLE. My insurance company was telling me they would no longer insure my van in my name. No way. No how. End of story. They wanted to arrange for pick-up and they would sell it at auction for parts. At THAT moment, I had no van. It was not mine to give. It had been effectively taken away from me already. As soon as I received and deposited the insurance check, it belonged to the insurance company. Again – NOT MINE TO GIVE.

So, I didn’t just give my van away. I offered it in my prayer, not knowing why. One week later, God accepted my gift. Done deal.

7. By then, because of all the advice (see #5), I – and LOTS of other people – had already been praying for God to work this out and show me what he wanted me to do. Remember, the insurance company effectively owned the van at this point. NOT MINE TO GIVE.

8. I offered every suggestion I had learned about (again, see #5) to the insurance agent in an effort to KEEP the van and transfer the title to the family who needed it. Every suggestion was thwarted with “State of Florida won’t allow . . . ” and “Our policy doesn’t allow . . . ” Still, at that point, the van was NOT MINE TO GIVE.

9. I asked the agent if he was a Christian and when he said yes, I just told him the whole story and ended with “God has given me an opportunity to serve and I feel a responsibility to follow it through until the whole thing falls apart. So. You do this every day. How do I solve this problem?” He told me what to do. He transferred me to the adjuster who would review my appeal and while I was on hold I prayed the entire time, giving the conversation to God. God was going to have to change her mind. I was just supposed to ask. GOD was in charge. Still, at that point the van was NOT MINE TO GIVE.

10. The insurance adjuster reclassified the van from “total loss” to “completely repairable.” Technically the van belonged to me again – BUT – only for logistical reasons. The decision was changed because of my intentions for the van. I had already accepted that the van was no longer mine.

I’m just a bailor at this point. The van is still NOT MINE TO GIVE.

It’s now repaired, ready to transfer title. I’m supposed to buy my “new” vehicle tomorrow. Hopefully, I can complete both transfers by day’s end.

GOD is good. Not me. I didn’t do it. GOD did.