During Spring Break, Jonathan (my husband) and I picked up some of our grandkids to take them to the beach, more than a three-hour drive from their place. The closer we got to our destination, the more excited they became. We passed the last town, with sixty miles ahead of us. It was a remote highway with barely any traffic and spotty cell phone coverage. And then, thirty miles in, it happened. A flat tire.

Jonathan pulled off the road onto the shoulder, next to some grass and a small hill dotted with brush.

Our Tesla comes with no spare tire as standard issue. We were stuck.

Our grandkids played contentedly while Jonathan tried to get help on his phone, which kept dropping the calls. It took forty-five minutes before one of the grandkids could no longer hold back the tears.

An astute child, she explained, “I don’t like it when things feel outside my control, when I don’t know what’s going to happen next. It feels so hopeless.”

I understand those feelings all too well. All my life, I have battled anxiety and tended to catastrophize at the hint of something going wrong. I have also learned to hope in the Lord. He has taken care of me during terrible situations. Now I can override triggers unless they are really big.

I hugged our granddaughter and said, “I don’t like this situation either. There are so many unknowns. What I do know is that there is hope because God will take care of us. I don’t know what it will look like, but I believe everything will be all right.”

What is hope? It is more than wishful thinking. I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow. Hope is a tenacious certainty and a joyful expectation of God’s goodness grounded in His promises.

Eventually, Jonathan connected with a towing company, Les Schwab tires, and Enterprise car rental—all located in the town we had already passed through. It took an hour for the tow truck to arrive and almost another hour to reach Les Schwab. The driver was a character, freely chatting about local history and mysteries. He was more than willing to satisfy our grandkids’ curiosity. Enterprise had already closed, but they dropped off the rental car at Les Schwab. After a four-hour delay, we arrived safely and gratefully at the motel.

God transformed our misadventure into an adventure. It was a valuable lesson for our grandkids and a powerful reminder for me. Our God is the God who gives us hope. He loves us and cares about every detail of our lives.

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13 NLT).