When I became a teacher, I needed to dive deeper into my own native tongue so I could teach it to students unfamiliar with English. I began a habit of using a dictionary to gain word knowledge and encouraged my students to do the same as they were learning new words.

The definition of alignment (a noun, derived from the verb “to align) is, according to Merriam Webster, the proper positioning or state of adjustment of parts (as of a mechanical or electronic device) in relation to each other.

Alignment. I generally love the principle. It brings to mind other concepts like harmony, balance, symmetry, order, calm, peace. Think about it a bit, and we can see that alignment is fundamental to living life in this world. Like music, aligning our voices to the notes on the page or the strings of an instrument to the correct pitch. When you walk with another person and match your stride with them, it is alignment. Most of us follow alignment when we get dressed (colors that complement each other – don’t wear clashing patterns!). Without aligning ourselves to schedules, clocks, the laws of gravity, the rules of the road, it is not hard to imagine the chaos that would ensue.

There is another more utilitarian meaning that goes with alignment. That is, a tire alignment. An alignment is generally a good maintenance thing to do on a car, and especially when purchasing and installing a new set of tires. Tire alignments are not free.

I had discovered I needed new tires a few months ago during a visit to my Honda dealership for an oil change. The tread in my tires was wearing down and winter was approaching. I didn’t have all the money I needed for them, then. I put “new tires” on my prayer list. Underneath new tires, I wrote $1,018 – the dealer’s quote.

Several weeks later, a few random occurrences aligned: a friend sent me a gift of detailed information following his recent tire changing experience; I received a salary increase; and I had some time off for the Thanksgiving holiday. This set of alignments was enough. I was ready and formed a plan to visit Firestone and get my tires changed on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

My plan for this relatively heft purchase included research and evidence gathering. From what I found, I thought I could do much better than the dealer’s quote, and could get the new tires for $700, tops. When I made the appointment, I found out there was a “buy three get one free” special running for the tires I needed for my car. This was more alignment, working in my favor!

Clearly, this would be easy. The day, the price, the tires – they all seemed to be aligning, smoothly, and I felt good about my plan. Excitement grew until the total out the door cost was delivered. It was much higher than my target $700. It was $840 (or $890 with a lifetime of free tire alignments).

This extra $140, or $190 was a curve ball. It was not part of my plan and it was not aligned with my expectations. I could not understand how the price could be that high for just “three” tires on a Black Friday special. My big plan to spend only $700 was not working out, and I was not happy about it. However, the facts were, winter was approaching, and I needed new tires, so I would have to swallow that unexpected expenditure.

As I sat in the sparsely furnished Firestone waiting room, I had a few hours to ruminate on this disruption in my thorough, supposedly well aligned plan. I worked the numbers in my head numerous times, checked my friend’s text to see if I was being overcharged, and approached the man at the counter several times with questions. Why spending an extra $140 bothered me so much, I do not know. All I know is that it did. It was the piece of the puzzle that did not fit.

As the minutes and hours ticked by and the technicians installed the new tires, I remembered that just 24 hours ago, I had been celebrating Thanksgiving with my family. I thought about the warm glow of the day as we focused on being thankful and grateful. Appreciation for God and His blessings had put us in alignment and had injected so much joy into our Thanksgiving Day. One day later, Black Friday had turned me from being thankful for all of God’s blessings into a grumpy consumer, looking for a deal – and upset that I didn’t get it. How quickly I had become disgruntled and unthankful, just because of $140.

In those moments, I recognized that it was not just my tires that needed an alignment. It was my attitude. I began to thank God that I could get these tires I had waited for. I remembered that I could trust Him for the finances, and that He knew my needs. I began praying for the technicians and staff. To be honest, I did not feel like being thankful or praying for the people at Firestone. It was a choice. And the timeless word of God is always true. It won over the misaligned piece of the tire plan that had been troubling me. When I realigned my thoughts with thankfulness, remembering God’s promises of provision and God’s encouragement to trust, a spiritual transaction took place. Paul said this would happen in his ancient letter to the church at Phillipi.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness^[d] be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7

As I sat there, I noticed my car being lowered in the garage and I approached the counter again to ask if my car was ready. I was told it was almost ready and it was getting an alignment.

I waited. The front desk staff finally called my name, my car was ready. Great. He looked at me and said “the price is lower than what we quoted, your car did not need an alignment.” Final out the door cost: $640.

I learned a big lesson that day about alignment. Much deeper than my tire alignment was the need for my heart to line up with God’s word. I was grateful to save worth a few hundred dollars. I was even more grateful that I learned again just how powerful God and His word are in changing us.