When the Breakdown Was God’s Set-Up
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There’s a story I want to tell. A divine moment in the middle of my worst morning. And it started with my car…
I drive an older vehicle, the kind that rattles with age and never quite lets you forget it. Every few months, something breaks. A noise. A flashing light. The kind of problem that pulls anxiety right up into your throat.
Yesterday was supposed to be easy. A breakfast catch-up with some friends. But not long after I pulled out of the driveway, the dashboard lit up and the car started making that awful grinding noise again.
By the time I reached the café, I was already anxious. I rang the mechanic before I even stepped out of the car. He told me the truth, they were short-staffed, the boss was away, and he couldn’t book me in until next month.
My heart dropped.
Living out of town, a car isn’t just handy. It’s necessary. It gets my kids to the school bus, gets groceries in the house, keeps life moving. Without it, I’m stuck.
Still, he told me to stop by after breakfast. Maybe someone could take a Quick Look and let me know whether I could keep driving or park it until fixed.
I sat through that meal with my friends, pretending to follow the conversation, but my mind wasn’t there. I was already spiralling, running numbers I didn’t have, praying for answers that hadn’t arrived.
After breakfast, I drove to the mechanic, whispering the same quiet prayer over and over. God, help me get there. Help me know what to do. Please, just be in this.
And He did.
When I arrived, a young man came out to check the car. He looked exhausted. Not just physically, but soul-deep tired. You could see it in his eyes, in his shoulders, in the way he carried himself.
And then something strange happened. A calm settled over me. The kind that doesn’t come from things being fixed, but from knowing God is near.
He told it to me straight. My car was not driveable. It needed more work than they could manage right now. There was no room in the schedule.
But I wasn’t looking at the car anymore. I was looking at him.
I asked gently, “Are you okay?”
And something cracked open…