Rarely do you get the chance to experience God’s caring, loving, gracious hand more than when you are helpless, when things are out of your control, or when you are on your own.

Personally, being in any of those situations, or all three at the same time, is uncomfortable. That’s an understatement. I’m a planner. I like being prepared. I like over-preparing. Some (most) would call me a control-freak. I admit it.

Currently, I’m on a 16-day motorcycle trip to Colorado and the Grand Canyon. I have everything all planned out. In fact, to stay IN the Grand Canyon’s lodging, you have to make reservations one year in advance. That forces you to plan everything, which is fine with me. That’s part of the fun of the trip.

On Day 8, we were headed from Independence Pass (elevation 12,095 ft.) to Durango, Colorado. Everything on the trip had been flawless, including the weather. We were journeying through the Carbondale area, when someone (astonishingly) holds up a piece of cardboard out his car window stating to my buddy, Gregg, “CHECK YOUR REAR TIRE.”

Uh oh. We pull into a gas station right around the corner and check the pressure. But just before that, we put the bike on its center-stand and spin the rear wheel. There it it is. A nail. Imbedded. Crap!

I head into the convenience store and ask if they have a phone book. Uh… no…. (and a look like, “What’s a phone book?”)

However, a customer says, “I have one in the car.” As we head to his car, I explain what has happened and he says, “I think the closest is in Glenwood Spring, a few miles away.” Fifteen minutes later, we’re at the motorcycle dealer getting the tire plugged. Fifteen more minutes, and we’re on our way.

To put this in perspective:

We had been in desolate areas. We had been at 12,000+ feet. We had been over a hundred miles from any motorcycle shop. It was Saturday, late morning, not Sunday, with everything closed. There was someone who took the time to make a sign to alert my buddy. There was another guy who supplied a phone book. Cell phone service was sketchy, so a phone book was a must. The shop was open and could do the work in about 30 minutes from when we discovered the problem. I could proabably go on.

I (thankfully) wasn’t in control. But everything was under control.

God’s providential care. (Smile)