Last week I had an experience that reminded me we can pray for divine guidance. We can ask for everyday miracles and see what magic unfolds.
I’ve just dropped my kids off at school and I pull into my neighborhood grocery store where I have placed a pickup order. I pull out my phone to check in and let the grocery workers know I’m here.
Except I have no service. My phone is having some kind of SIM card error, which I throw myself into trying to fix.
Suddenly, a man taps on the window of my passenger side door and tells me I have a flat tire. My eyebrows shoot up to the sky in disbelief because I didn’t notice any issues on the drive over. I throw open the car door and take a look, and see my rear tire deflated like a sad, misshapen donut. A silver screw is the culprit.
The man tells me to be careful and I go back into my car feeling just as deflated as the tire. I continue to try to get phone service to no avail.
My logical mind tells me to go into the store for help, but I suddenly burst into tears. I feel ashamed that I don’t know how to change my own tire. No one ever taught me how, probably because I’m female (or because I didn’t ask). I feel embarrassed that I talk so much about empowerment, yet my first instinct in this situation is to call my husband to either come help me or arrange for roadside assistance. I don’t want to be a damsel in distress calling out to be saved.
Drowning in tears, my wise Self whispers to me. All those years of attuning to her voice have paid off. She reminds me that I can offer this to the Divine and pray to be shown the next right steps.
I close my eyes and rest my clasped hands on the steering wheel. From the depths of my heart, I ask the Divine to guide me.
I start to feel peace settling into my body.
And then comes the everyday miracle.
Less than a minute later, a different man taps on my window. He asks me if I need air for my tire.
Why yes, yes I do. We hook up his portable tire inflator and he asks me where I purchased the tires. Once the tire is full again, he tests how fast it is leaking and tells me I will have enough air to get to the tire shop.
I prayed for the next right step, and almost instantaneously someone showed up and offered me a plan.
I made it to the tire shop and discovered I had paid for the protection plan on my tires (which I usually decline) so it was only $20 to replace my “screwed up” tire.
The whole experience reminded me that the Divine IS guiding me and I can ask for miracles.
AND, I can also learn how to change my own tire. My husband gave me a patient lesson on tire changing a few days later, and I was able to do the work myself while following his instructions. I was sore after all the lifting, but I felt more empowered.
I see now that I didn’t deserve to feel shame over not knowing how to change a tire. It didn’t make me a bad feminist or a fraud. It just meant that I was shaped by patriarchy, and I now have the power and privilege to overcome those limiting notions of what a woman is capable of doing.
In the same way, if you ever find yourself in moments of people-pleasing or feeling less than empowered in how you express your voice . . .
. . . please give yourself grace and compassion. We are all in the never-ending process of learning new ways of being. And calling in the wisdom of our Divine selves can also free us from any trap. Grace heals and grace frees.
This is my wish for you:
May you be filled with grace and ease as you navigate the ups and downs of life. May you be empowered to express yourself freely. May all who need to hear your wisdom find you. And most of all, may you remember that you are worthy just as you are!
How did this story relate to your own journey? Hit reply and let me know!
Much love,
Sara Giita Flores