Self Reliance

I'm struck by the different way people look at things; how some people don't see things the way I do. I'm also struck by the fact that if everybody saw things the way I do they'd be right more often. Linda and I are starting off this President's Day Monday by her doing some alterations to some clothes and I'm working in the kitchen in preparation for doing some cooking. (Green chili stew.) I was pondering some of the speaker's comments heard in church yesterday and I needed to use Lin as a sounding board. I said to her "Thinking about what Sister XXXXXX said..." and before I could finish she said "That bothers you too?" So Lin and I think alike; that's a good thing. Now about what bothered us: The speaker was talking about the answer to prayer and personal revelation. She related a story about having a flat tire in a remote area of Arizona. She had a number of children with her in a mini van when a front tire lost air. She sat in the car for 15 minutes until a stranger came along to assist her. She used it as an occasion to build her faith in human kind and that's not a bad thing. On the other hand, she freakin' sat there for 15 minutes instead of getting out, finding the jack and spare and changing the danged tire! What if it had been 30 minutes? An hour? Ok, the Lord doesn't give us what we can't handle but why not just fix it yourself? God has given us the ability to think for ourselves and to do for ourselves. I'm glad for the women in my life who will do what they can on their own and call for assistance when they need to. I feel a little lost because both of my daughters live a distance away but I feel better knowing that they can handle most situations when they occur. I'll let them tell about their various adventures with cars, one involving a PT Cruiser loaded with Japanese exchange students and a flat tire in almost the same spot as the incident above. Another more recent involved a dead alternator and the self reliance shown to get the car to where it wasn't a danger. I'm proud of my daughters and what they can accomplish. I'm glad they take care of themselves when they can. I'm also glad they like each other and help each other when they can. I worry about Linda being off in the far reaches of the Indian reservations but I also know that she can change a flat tire when the occasion arises. I appreciate my daughters' and wife's self reliance, knowing that they will pray for assistance to help with the situation but knowing that they will do what they can for themselves.