Jesus be a fence. This is a common phrase used by Christians
who have a knack for figurative language yet whose true desire in that moment
is for God to be with them as a source of protection and comfort in various
situations. There are other phrases like, God is my rock, or Jesus be a lamp.
I’m sure those phrases have all come to mean something important to people as
they have seen God sort things out in their life through the lens of their
given metaphor or simile. I’ve seen God move and teach me things in my life
most recently through the phrase, Jesus be a parking spot.
Though the metaphor appears to be frivolous as it mainly
involves my need to find a parking spot for my car, it has taught me a lot. God
knows living in my neighborhood, looking for parking can be an inevitable
dreadful search filled with frustration, hopelessness and rage. Though through it all, in more moments than I
can count I have been able to rely on God to find a space for my car to call
home while we are a part.
God has been able to calm me down after twenty and thirty
minutes bouts of circling and wandering, with no avail, and my heart is full of
rage and despair. God is a source of peace in my life. God gives me calm in the
storm of life.
God has given me attitude adjustments when I want to despise
someone or make nasty comments about someone who found a spot while I’m still
looking, or when they turned onto the block from the intersection a moment
before me and get the spot that I thought would have been mine. It doesn’t
happen 100% of the time, but I have noticed a tremendous shift in my response towards
“good for them…God is in the neighborhood, I’m sure I’ll get one soon”. God works on my heart. Create in me a clean
heart, and renew a right spirit in me.
God even knows when I’m insanely tired after a long day of
being on my feet with the kids, putting out fights, enriching minds, pouring my
heart and soul to my job, staying late to go above and beyond for those
struggling students, pulling up on my street tired and hungry, yet too weary to
cook and all I want is a parking spot. And boom…just like that…there is a spot
on my block, in a reasonable amount of walking distance to my door. God is good. God knows my needs and is there
for me. When I am broken down to my most
weakened state, God doesn’t give me more than I can bear.
Other times I’ve realized that God is there with me while I
wait for a parking spot…even though it may not seem like God is with me. I can’t always expect to have a
parking spot right away because I called on God for one, or because I was
intentionally kind or giving to someone earlier in the day. God may not come when you want God to, but
God’s always on time. After having done
all to stand…STAND, continue to believe that God will keep his word.
Sometimes I’ll have a great parking spot, and then I make
decisions about whether or not I’ll leave the house to run an errand based on
the time of day and availability of spots, or if I should just walk instead of
driving…God gives me wisdom and counsel to be a good steward of the things that
He’s entrusted me with.
Sometimes I’ll park on the metered street at night , knowing
good and well in the morning I have to get up and move my car before the meter
timer starts and I get a ticket. Sometimes I get there after the meter starts
and there is no ticket. God favors me. Other times I have a ticket on my car
after the meter timer starts, God gives me the resources to pay the fine for
the ticket.
In all these seemingly mundane and trivial experiences of
just trying to park my car…God shows up and is there for me, teaching me
lessons about patience, trust, faith, consequence of choices, and attitude
adjustments. I trust that I will be able to apply these lessons to other
situations that are equally as frivolous as parking , or more severe
circumstances around health and stability. My God is an awesome God. Jesus, be
a parking spot in a dense and crowded vehicular neighborhood. Amen.
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