Alignment

This past month has been a dozy for our family.  Last month Dale, my son, came home for the weekend.  On his way back to Maryville his car was making a loud knocking sound.  The hubs & a good friend went to Platte City to try to figure out what was going on and to help him. Two hours later in the dark they tightened the bolt and brace that had came undone and hold the alternator in.  The last ten miles of the journey to the 'ville he realized what time it was and that he wasn't going to make the midnight deadline for an assignment.  And, yes, you guessed it he decided to speed and got pulled over.

The night of the ticket Dale called and his voice sounded like the little kid he once was.  I asked if he was ok, and then if his car was still running and if he was in an accident.  He then fessed up about getting pulled over for going 25 miles over the speed limit and fell apart over the phone.  I took a deep breath and began to pray over my sonshine.

I told him that God has great plans for him and that the officer was God's way to shake him, to make him slow down, and realize his potential could be lost in just a matter of minutes with going that fast.  I shared with him that darkness seeks to silence light and that is what he was feeling. I shared with him as much I as wanted to break the darkness that he had to do it.  Knock on someones door or his RA's door and tell them what was going on.  It is through talking, telling what is going on that we break darkness and light is reveled.

He was so quiet as I hung up the phone that my mama heart broke and tears flowed. All I could do is cry and plea for God to "ROAR" for Dale.   I live by the motto that "we don't retreat we roar".  There have been times in my life that I felt silenced, let the darkness creep further than needed, and that I couldn't even squeak let alone roar.  I started to petition God to "ROAR" for Dale and heard "I'm on it" which made me cry a little harder.  Why?  Because generally when I pray over my kids I hear "it is so" but when I hear "I'm on it" I know it is going to take some time.

My blessing is that the hubs told me the next morning "let's pray" and said "you know, Sherry, its only a speeding ticket".  Yeah, sure, only a speeding ticket.  That darn ticket has had me baffled , sleepless, being plagued with worse case scenario thoughts. I broke the darkness from KC by calling on friends to pray over Dale and our ability to pay his tickets.  I called a friend with ties to Maryville who found out legally what we could do and should do.

Monday as I prayed over his court date today, I felt like God tell me "it is aligned".  Ok, so, I want details, Lord, and he gave me some.  I felt like Dale was going to have to do community service and the fines would be less than $100.  Instead of praising God I said, "nope, just the paperwork to go to court is $390 plus the ticket and they don't do community service for speeding tickets, God, geez".  I heard "And, you didn't align it, Sherry, I did with mercy and grace for my beloveds".

Court was on Tuesday and by noon Dale called me.  He told me it was like the judge knew him already.  He was firm when he told Dale the severity of speeding and said there would be "grace" because Dale had no priors.  He gave him two options; pay over $700+ in fines and revoke his license or he would give him "grace" by allowing him to be on probation for speeding for the next year. Dale would have to do 8 hours of community service in the KC area, and have to check in with the judge periodically, and there would be a fine of $70.50, no points taken from his license and he could still drive.  He choose the second option and thanked the judge for grace and mercy.

Thankful is too small for the awe I feel for God's alignment. Ohh, my, what does alignment mean? According to Websters ; arrangement in a straight line, or in correct or appropriate relative positions". That was certainly true for court with the sonshine.  Thankful today for God's careful, diligent hands that are at work over my life, my family, my friends, and those that I have yet to meet or may never.  He beautifully orchestrates each of our paths, asks for obedience in listening to Him, gifts us his light that will always suppress darkness, and seeks to correct us into alignment to be attuned to Him, to attune to his premise and purpose in his beloved creation...that would be us.

As an afterthought here is what happened the night of the ticket; Dale didn't leave his room after our phone call.  Instead, my quiet kid, sat on his bed and then there was a knock on his door.  Someone on his floor saw him come in and knew something wasn't right.  When Dale opened the door the kid asked if he was all right and Dale told him what had happened.  And, that broke the darkness because the kid had the same thing happen to him.  Then another kid came to his room and said , "Dale, its just a speeding ticket, man, it will be ok".  By the next morning when I talked to him he told me, "Mom, you were right about breaking the darkness.  I didn't realize until last night how many people care about me".

May each of you feel the incidentals, hiccups, and know that God roars for you with a velocity and fierceness that we can not even comprehend.  He uses grace, mercy, and boundless love to light our path.  I wrote this blog to encourage each that reads it and tell you to seek the light.  That when darkness surrounds you that you must break it by reaching out to someone, anyone, that is near you, tell them what is going on, and by God's grace they will bring light.

Peace be with you- Sherry