The Nit & Grit

There's a quaint little town about 25 minutes from us that my husband and I love to visit. It's got that cozy feel to it that makes you want to sit outside their main street cafe just to leisurely sip on coffee and watch people pass by. It's absolutely heavenly on quiet, sunny Sundays. I'd even say therapeutic. 

Yesterday, I took my daughter there to have some lunch at one of the restaurants. Though the restaurant has a parking lot, there's wasn't a space to be seen. We circled the area several times to find on-street parking, but to no avail. I eventually dropped her off in front of the restaurant for her to get a head start as I continued the search on my own. 

As I rounded the block for about the third or fourth time, it struck me that I should probably pray about it. Now, some might think that's too mundane of a prayer. Some might say God is too busy to worry about something so trivial as a parking spot. But, let me tell you, it's not. In fact, the more time I spend with Him, the more I'm finding out that God loves when we invite Him into the details of our lives. We forget that He's our Parent. And good parents don't just show up for big events in their kids' lives. They are there through the nitty-gritty of everyday stuff. Mundane stuff. And today's nit and grit was a parking space. 

Something came over me as I rounded the block again. Boldness might be the word. Gumption might be better. I found myself saying out loud, "Ok, Lord. What do you have for me? You're not going to leave me hanging, that's for sure." I was resolute. So much so that my perception suddenly switched. Instead of hopelessly looking for a spot, I began looking with eyes of faith. Now, I was expectant. It's funny because to anyone else, nothing had changed in that moment. I was still circling. I was still without a parking spot. But now, I had hope. Hope because I knew God had something for me. Hope because I knew He wasn't going to let me down. Now, did it mean I would get the best spot on the block? Not necessarily. But I knew what I would get would be perfect for me.

And it was.

As, I turned the corner I saw it there just waiting for me. I did not have to parallel park my way in (I have yet to figure out, after decades of driving, how to do that properly!) and it was just across the street from the art gallery I was planning to take my daughter to after lunch. So it would be an easy scoot back to the car when we were done. 

The day turned into a lovely time. I met up with my daughter without missing a thing at the restaurant and had a beautiful afternoon with her. I'm just so glad I let God in to be a part of it. He really does love the nit and grit. And I have a feeling today’s experience is going to give me more boldness and faith to pray for the things that are bigger than parking spots.