There’s Got To Be an Easier Way To Get Readers – Episode Two (Continued)

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. – I Corinthians 1:27

My life’s ambition is to be used by God, and I believe that has indeed happened throughout my life. But I’m afraid the above verse summarizes the way He’s used me more often than not, and I suppose I have to be okay with it.

At least it make some good stories …

Yesterday I began the story of something scary, pleasantly surprising, and delightful that happened to me on a road trip that was supposed to be uneventful.

There’s Got To Be an Easier Way To Get Readers – Episode Two

I had prayed earlier for (actually, thanked the Lord for) all my needs to be met. I had been getting drowsy, but a “mishap” along the way (OK, I had an accident.) woke me up sufficiently to keep me awake the rest of the day. I had also prayed earlier that the Lord would send me where He wanted me to go and that I would encounter the people He wanted me to encounter and speak the words He wanted me to speak. (That’s what “having my feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace” looks like to me. – Ephesians 6:15) I was about to see that prayer answered, too. Earnestly hoping that answer wouldn’t involve a lot of humiliation and expense for me, I was now praying for a nice (and honest) repair person who wouldn’t exaggerate the damage to my car and add a bunch of extra charges for some made-up problems. (Speaking of problems, how did I get so cynical?).

As I pulled into the shop, a friendly young man outside stepped over to my car and asked, “How ya doin’ today?”

“I’m not sure,” I confessed, then proceeded to tell him what had happened.

“I don’t work here,” he said, “but somebody’ll come help you in a minute.”

I was off to a great start. (*eye roll*)

Another young man (this time an employee) asked me why I was there, and I explained again. I had braced myself for a long wait, but was pleasantly surprised when he said, “Come on inside and have a seat, we’ll take a look at it.”

Before I knew it, my new baby was up on the lift, and a few minutes later the man came back and said, “Well, you lucked out.”

Before I’d had time to think of a response, my automatic answer popped out: “I don’t believe in luck.”

He smiled knowingly and rephrased his answer: “Somebody was looking out for you.”

“He always has,” I agreed.

I was told the car was perfectly safe to drive. The damage was all “cosmetic,” which seemed odd to me, because my car looked fine. I asked who’d ever see these “cosmetic” flaws, and he said just anyone who has the car on a lift and is looking at the underside. He led me under the car and showed me where there were a few scratches (He had to point them out to me, they were so subtle.). But as it turned out, the sheet of blue plastic lying on the ground had been mine. The man seemed to be implying that this veneer was mostly for cosmetic purposes. (It sounded like whoever decided to put it there was related to the dentist who took an extra ten minutes to polish the coffee stains off the back of my bottom front teeth. *another eye roll*) I asked if I should replace the parts that had been ripped off, and he opined that it wasn’t necessary.

Being a shy person that likes to keep my faith private (In your dreams, people.), I told him about my prayer for an honest mechanic, and that the Lord had answered my prayer.

I asked him if he was a Christian, and no surprise, he said he was. I was so relieved about the car and so delighted (though not surprised) at the answer to my prayer, I blurted, “Can I hug you?” He said, “sure” and got a motherly hug.

I asked him if he or his wife or kids liked to read books, and he said yes, they do! He asked why, and I told him I was an author and would love to give him a copy of one of my books. He asked what I wrote about, and I told him. As soon as my car was off the lift, I got out a copy of BARRIERS (So, if prayers are so powerful, how come mine don’t get answered?) When I went inside with him to pay for the diagnosis, he said there was no charge – another blessing! I got his name (Kevin) and I wrote him a note inside the book, putting into writing this time that he was an answer to prayer. We exchanged a few “God stories,” including one about his miraculous healing from a stroke – at the age of 25! He hadn’t been expected to live through the night, but he had been raised up more than just a casual believer. He told me a little about his kids. The oldest is a good age for reading my trilogy, so he might contact me later about ordering a set for a Christmas gift. Since his children are in a Christian school, there was also talk about getting my books into the school library …

It would seem that whatever dumb thing I did with the car didn’t stop God from working. In fact, as I told Kevin, He seems to use my blunders. (Long time readers of this blog have read about a few of them.) But when I expressed embarrassment, his reply was an emphatic “Hey, you’re okay, that’s all that matters!” He sounded like a relieved son talking to his mom. Or grandmother.

… Grandmother, mom, sister, whatever. I love being in God’s family.

Father, thank You for the privilege of being Your child. I confess that I often feel like a child, wondering when I’ll “have it all together.” Whether I ever do, or whether I remain a constant reminder of the extent of Your grace, today I yield my life to You once again. In Jesus’ name, amen.

NOTE: Tomorrow I’ll post another serendipity moment loosely related to this episode.