I should probably begin by letting you know that I have used Sarah Young’s “Jesus Calling” as part of my devotional reading for the past three years. Gradually, the main themes of the book have been taking root in my mind and heart: let go of the idea that you need to be in control, and just trust God to guide the everyday events of your life.
Admittedly, there’s a fine line between “giving it all to the Lord” and plain old fatalism, but I have given Young’s philosophy a try for a while and am finding it to work well. Even insignificant events crop up now and then. The other day, for example, as I was leaving the bedroom, I felt the need to bring my appointment book to my office. I couldn’t imagine why I would need it, but I brought it with me anyway and, sure enough, I needed it on two occasions after I got there.
More to the point: our central air conditioning system finally went belly-up after about 15 years. The fellows who came out to do the annual maintenance found that the coolant had leaked out. It would cost $500 to recharge it. It would likely leak out by the end of the summer. The system’s R-22 coolant is to be phased out completely by 2020. Did I want them to recharge it anyway?
No brainer, given that information.
I spoke with Kevin Talley (whose name I don’t mind including here), a member of our church and the owner of Talley Heating and Air Conditioning. He recommended that we change to a heat pump and explained all the cost-effective reasons why. We decided to take his recommendation. The heat pump was installed on May 20.
Now, let’s go back to last week. My wife, Evelyn, received a letter from an insurance company that was connected somehow with her father Jim’s fireman’s coverage. They had discovered that he had a policy that had never been cashed in after his death some decades ago. The letter asked Evelyn to give them a call, verify that she was, in fact, Jim’s daughter, and begin the process of collecting the value of the policy.
She called and spoke with a very pleasant woman. She gave the woman the required information. Once Evelyn sends a death certificate for her father to the insurance company, they will issue her check.
Value of the policy? $4,000.00.
Price of the heat pump? $4,090.00.
Thank you, God, for knowing this was going to happen.
Thank you, Jim, for our new heat pump.