There was a look of utter distraught on my wife’s face as she stared at what was left of our tent trail’s right tire. Her gaze shifted to meet mine: “I think we will need to put on the spare.”

We had been traveling Highway 1, the Trans Canada Highway, through Manitoba, and were nearing the Saskatchewan border when it happened. While trying to pass another camper, my wife had been unable to avoid a large piece of wood on the road, and our tent trailer’s tire ended up being the victim.

“You would think these kind of things would only happen in war-torn regions of this world!” I remarked. But I knew my wife was right for once (To be honest, she is almost always right. She has a .001% error margin). There was a definite nick in the tire, and with the Manitoba roads being what they were (okay, let’s face it! Manitoba roads are not exactly made in heaven, if you know what I mean!), we were concerned that the tire wouldn’t make it to Regina.

For some reason, before we left on vacation, I became convinced that I needed to buy another tire (rim and everything!) for the trailer. We had a spare, but it was one of those donut things designed to only take you 10-20 km. I had been the laughing stock of the family for my convictions (I felt like Noah who had to build an ark in a place where there were no large bodies of water and where it never rained!), but I insisted it was important. And here we were, hundreds of kilometers from a tire repair store. This time, it seemed that the.001% error margin made a difference in my favor!

We quickly changed tires (Half an hour is fast, don’t you think?) And continued our trek to beautiful Regina. The next day we took the nicked tire to a local tire shop. The mechanic had “that look” on his face as he examined it, you know, the one that says: “Where did these guys come from?”

“What’s wrong?” I inquired, somewhat cautiously.

“Well, I’m not sure how you made it as far as you did on this tire! There’s no tread left on the outsides, and it only has 15 pounds of pressure instead of the recommended 60. Are you sure you drove all the way from Ontario to Regina?”

“Is the low pressure why the tires kept getting so hot?” Asked my wife.

“Absolutely!”

She looked up at me with that “I told you so” kind of look in her eyes. Yes, she had been telling me we needed to check that tire pressure in the trailer tires! Guess her error margin worked against me again!

That same evening we brought the other tire, the companion to the one who had been greeted as an alien from outer space by Manitoba’s highways. It, too, was in the same condition. Two new tires later (both filled with 60 psi!) we were as good as new. Funny how our tires didn’t heat up after that! What could have been a tragedy had been turned into praise to the One who had kept us safe.

Why worry about road bombs, wooden planks, potholes, exploded tires, toilets (yes, once in Ontario I encountered–or avoided!-a toilet on a highway! Can you imagine what people would have said if I had hit that thing! “You hit what? A toilet? On the highway?”) when you have a Heavenly Father who cares for you?

Jesus had some great advice about worrying: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matt 6:34 NIV)

I have never encountered a worried person who was joyful. Worry zaps all of your energy and turns people into dried up prunes. Not a pretty sight, if you ask me! Trusting in our Heavenly Father will prevent us from turning sour so that each day can be greeted as an adventure with our Forever friend as our companion.

Worrying is for the old me. I have found a friend in Jesus. I don’t have to fret any longer! He will take care of me. “Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything – and I do mean everything – connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life – a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you.” (Eph 4:22-24 THE MESSAGE)

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matt 11:28-30 THE MESSAGE)

Would you like to be worry-free? This is only possible by developing a close relationship with Jesus.

“Look out! Kamikaze ahead!”

“Why worry? I have Jesus as my personal friend. I know where I am heading, thanks to my forever Friend.”

Rob Chaffart