We Don't Fit

We don't fit.

By we, I mean my family.

By fit, I mean anywhere...most recently, my car.

When we found out I was pregnant, one of the first things my doctor asked Rick and me was about the size of our car.  How were we all going to fit in my Nissan Sentra?!  Well, Rick and I worried and worried about this.  Maxing out our monthly income doesn't leave room for any extras, so a new van was not an option.  Our idea was to save.  Save, save, save, so that when we had enough, we could just buy a van flat out with no monthly commitment.  Until then, we resigned to the fact we were going to have to carpool everywhere we went.

Until one day...

I asked Rick just to try and see if three car seats in my car would fit, and you know what...

they did! Well, that solved the problem of the immediate travel needs of my family.  And so it has been since we brought the twins home on March 26th.  It's a tight squeeze and I usually have to hold diaper bags and such in my lap, but it's become our normal.  No complaints here!

However, now that I'm going back to school, we have somewhat of a dilemma.  I will be driving my car to work and Rick will be here without a car to take the girls anywhere.  No big deal, right?  Wrong!  Being in a house day in and day out with 3 children under 2 1/2 can make the walls close in on you fast.  I hate to think of Rick wanting to get out of the house, and being stuck here.  Every day.  All day.  I wouldn't want that for myself, so I don't want it for him either.

Next dilemma:

The double stroller doesn't fit in the trunk of my car and the twins are growing.  This means we can't put the twins side-by-side in GG's stroller anymore.  We need the double stroller.  As my family prepares to do a Midsummer Night's Run Saturday night, you wouldn't believe the lengths we're having to go to in order to get everyone downtown.  First, we're having to borrow my mother-in-law's car and then take another car.  All this just to get everyone somewhere together...it sure does take a lot of planning and foresight.

These are the kind of sacrifices my family makes in order for Rick to stay at home with the girls.  I'm sure if we were a two income family, we'd hop into our van, with all of our belongings in the back, I'd have plenty of leg room and my lap wouldn't be full. 

Seems like the more my family does lately, the more I'm reminded of this whole transportation issue.  I'd be lying if I didn't say I didn't get frustrated sometimes.  

But...

At church on Sunday, the reading was about the Israelites complaining to Moses and Aaron.  They were angry that they had been lead to the desert with famine in their certain future.  The Lord tested the Israelites and told them to go out each day and gather food.  If they followed His instructions, He would rain down bread from heaven.  In true God fashion, the desert was filled with quail and some kind of bread flakes.  Moses told the people, "This is the bread the Lord has given you to eat." 
Jesus 1  Doubters 0

***Break for a caveat***

I'm in no way a theologian and don't even think I come close to interpreting correctly what God has shared with us in the Bible.  The above story could be totally wrong!  ha!!  However, even if it is, I'm sure something like this has to have happened in history, so just go with the biblical flow...k?

***End caveat***

So, anything my family has ever needed, we have had.  We didn't even think we could fit in my car and look at us now!  All piled in, getting from Point A to Point B.  Granted, it's not very comfortable, but to be quite honest, quail and bread flakes don't sound too appetizing either.  They get the job done, though, don't they?

My point is:

God isn't going to lead my family to a place and then leave us hanging to figure out everything on our own.  We don't have a bigger car because we haven't needed one.  Yet.

That's faith...doing the stuff that makes you uncomfortable and then trusting.

Fast forward to Saturday night...

transferring cars

installing car seats

following each other downtown

trying to find 2 spots together so we don't have to look for each other in the madness

But then...

The gun will sound.

And guess who will be starting that race together...

Us.

We will have made it.

For now, we'll continue saving for something that fits us.  I know that God will make sure we get where we need to go and come up with some way to help Rick during the school year.

Of course, I do believe in miracles and if He wanted to just plop down a van right in the middle of our driveway, that'd be just fine with me!  For the record, Lord, I'm okay with that!

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I hope you see God this week, today, right now.  I hope you see Him in all of the ways He meets your needs.  And hey, if you happen to be at a Midsummer Night's Run this weekend, I hope you'll see Him if you see my family and all of our contraptions.  It will be clear that only an act of God could get us there!

Love,

Mary