“Our small car”, that’s what Phopho calls our Run-X. And this Saturday morning when he went to the garage he noticed that the car was not there and he asked, “Mama, where is the small car?” I struggled to answer him because I also didn’t know, so I muttered something like: “it was taken,” “by whom?” he asked “tsotsis” I said, but quickly realized he (had) no idea what I was talking about. I ended up resorting to “the bad guys” but he thought I meant Batman the superhero 🙄  I eventually gave up and left the explaining to daddy. Yes, that’s what I do I  leave all the difficult subjects to him, but I was sad because my innocent 4-year-old would one day have an encounter with “bad guys” and there is nothing I can do to stop that from happening.

Suddenly a thought crossed my mind, I am so glad all I had to explain was where the car was and not where is papa? because after 9 and half years, Run-X was stolen at a parking lot and the search to get it back is still on.

I remember when Love (who was my boyfriend at the time) went to go fetch the car somewhere in Springs, he tried to explain why he was so excited about the car, “ it’s a 160 sport RSi!”, he said but I had no idea what it all meant.

All I remember is how he kept the leather seats extra clean, how I would soon learn to drive using  Run-X and how my first scratches were on Run-X. It was my first in many ways. And I would truly come to appreciate the fuss about the car when I drove another small car (I won’t mention brands 😉 it was a rental I used on a work trip and it had no power! needless to say I missed my Run X.

Now, back to leaving the difficult subjects to Sweet-One, I could not imagine explaining to our kids that I did not know where their father was, because someone decided to take something we owned and decided it was their turn to have it at whatever cost. So when Sweet-One called and said there was a challenge I was scared but very grateful that he was not there when they took the car, because the thought of him being hurt for something that can be replaced sends chills down my spine.

When he got home he asked that we pray and I remember we were both thanking God for his protection. And you may be asking yourself ask how do you thank God when bad things happen to you? well, it was not because we did not like the car we did very much so, as the paragraph above explains. It was the perfect car and we didn’t even owe anyone for it. So what made us pray is that we simply chose to see God’s faithfulness in the challenge. The Bible says ‘when you pass through the waters I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze’ Isaiah 43:2

So the promise is not that there will not be any waters or fires but that He will be with you through the trials. In fact, we are almost guaranteed to face a myriad of challenges: the water, the rivers, and the fire. The various challenges will come but His grace is sufficient for all kinds of troubles.

David also says: ‘many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers him from them all.’ Psalm 34:19. This should not scare you because everyone faces afflictions Christians and none Christian, the difference is how you choose to look at your challenge (perspective is everything). As a child of God, you are reassured that He will never leave you nor will He forsake you, He is your Hope of glory. so you know without a shadow of a doubt that the story does not end with you losing.

Please watch “Play to win” by Sarah Jakes Roberts she puts it this way “the persecuted always find a way”

So when you are persecuted you anticipate a new level of glory, a new level of understanding and you know He will use that as preparation for your elevation. Because ALL things and I mean ALL the good, the bad and the ugly, work together for our good I added a bit of spice to the verse‘Romans 8:28.’

So what Sarah Jakes Roberts says that, while some of us are playing to win and some are just trying not to lose, it is all about perspective! Someone who is playing to win has the end goal in mind and therefore doesn’t dwell on the bad but asks themselves what should I learn from this and sees the faithfulness of God in the midst of the storm, whereas someone who is in survival mode is not sure if they will make it or not so they think a bad chapter is the end of the story thus failing to see the rainbow.

Sweet- One always says this quote “it is the responsibility of the comfortable to make the uncomfortable comfortable or the uncomfortable will make the comfortable uncomfortable “unknown. The same Friday of the incident I visited a friend and we were talking about the crime around us and I listened to horror stories of how people were killed, kidnapped, etc. But it is only when it happens to you that you stop and think about what it really means and how badly it can devastate your life.

I found myself asking if I was doing enough to change the unemployment crisis but this question was soon followed up by” is it even my responsibility? and are they justified to do what they are doing because of their circumstances?”

I surely don’t have all the answers so if you do please do comment below.

But all I know is that because of these experiences families are broken and lives shattered and it is painful. All I can do at the moment is to pray for God to heal the wounded so that they do not harden their hearts towards the need around them. I can pray also for solutions to the unemployment crisis. And lastly, pray that God forgives those who commit the crime and they have an encounter with him In Jesus name.

I am not sure what tomorrow holds but I know the One who holds tomorrow and He is faithful. Even when we are disappointed we know how the story ends. We overcome.