God Sighting

Wow, I haven’t posted in a while!

Here’s a favorite, although scary God sighting:

One June, we were on a trip from Indiana to Virginia for my brother-in-law’s wedding. I was about 8 months pregnant and we had the other kids in the car with us. We drove through the night so the kids could sleep and we left the evening before the wedding, giving us plenty of time to get there (12 hour trip and we allowed nearly 24). Just as we were passing Wheeling, WV, right about midnight, we had a tire problem (it started wobbling because of a bubble). My husband got out, unloaded our luggage and got the spare tire out - a donut. He put it on and we got on the PA turnpike. A few miles beyond an exit, the donut went flat. We were stuck! After awhile, a policeman pulled up behind us and asked if we needed help. He and Dave decided that Dave could put the other tire back on, do a UTurn and nurse it back to the exit (not even knowing if there was a station there or anything). So the police gave us permission for the UTurn and left. Dave took the luggage out again and changed the tire, then did the UTurn and headed back. Less than a mile later, the tire went completely flat. It “just happened“ that we were right beside an area where semi truck drivers could pull to the side of the road and sleep. So Dave pulled off and took the tire off, and proceeded to CARRY it the few miles to the exit (it was too flat to roll). Meanwhile the girls and I waited in the car, watching and hoping for another policeman to stop. HOURS passed with no word (this was long before we had cell phones). Eventually a trucker pulled off behind us. I got scared and locked the doors as he sauntered up to our car and walked up to my window. I rolled it down just enough to speak with him. He looked at me, looked at the girls in the back seat and asked if we needed help. I didn’t know how to answer that. My husband had been gone for hours and I didn’t know if he’d had trouble or if the exit was that far away. So I just told the man that we’d had a flat and my husband had gone to get it repaired. He hesitated a second, then smiled and asked me to go back with him to his truck. 😳 He even bribed me with coffee! I said no thank you! He told me he’d be here awhile and said the offer was open, then he walked back to the truck. He was parked there for what seemed like FOREVER! Daylight arrived and still no Dave - and being 8 months pregnant, I REALLY needed a pit stop! Shortly after the truck finally left, a car pulled off going the opposite direction and dropped Dave and our tire off. He’d arrived at the exit in good time but had to sit there and wait for the station to open before he could get the new tire. In spite of the delays, God got us to VA in plenty of time for the wedding, with no more excitement!

Changing directions

I am God's failure! That will never change. I want to continually be willing to do what He asks, even if it means failing. HOWEVER, I've discovered that the more I am willing to do this, the more people it affects. And the more people it affects, the more careful I have to be in writing about it online. Because people might actually READ my blog and I don't want to hurt any feelings. So... I have decided to change directions. I won't stop writing about how I fail for Christ. You'll see those now and then when I can post and not hurt. However, due to my husband's teaching today at church, I finally know which direction I want to go.

God sightings. How do I know God exists? I can't see Him, feel Him, hear Him. Although He left me a beautiful letter, He didn't even sign it with His own handwriting. But I've honestly NEVER doubted His existence! He has made Himself so very clear in so many ways. My husband was relating one of those ways today and because the scripture we were studying was about comforting others with the same comfort we've received, it suddenly hit me to start posting God sightings - both in the past and present.

And I will start today. Many of our God sightings involve travel... or a sudden stop in travel (usually due to car problems).This is one of our favorites!!! We were driving to New Mexico in July of 1987. My lifelong dream was about to come true. I was going to be a missionary to Native Americans. Our little Nicole was just a few months old and at that time she was our one and only child. We were a young married couple who had just left job and income behind and were traveling on a shoestring!

We were driving across Texas on 40 toward Amarillo, TX. It was already dark. Suddenly our alternator light came on. Out in the middle of nowhere, our only choice was to continue to drive. Dave turned off the radio, the fan, and even the lights (he turned them on only when he saw traffic coming up behind us) and he kept driving. It seemed like forever. It "just so happened" that there was very little traffic out there that night. Finally we came to an exit, but it was completely dark, so we drove on. We came to another exit and saw a truck stop, so we turned off. It "just so happened" that the car died as we got near the parking lot and it "just so happened" that we were able to coast into a parking space. We had to push the car to the garage and they charge up the battery. And it "just so happened" they didn't ask for any money.

After they got the battery charged, it "just so happened" that someone was just getting off work and he knew of a nearby parts store. And it "just so happened" that he offered to lead us to it. We followed him over. When we parked at the parts store, Dave got out, took out the alternator and ran inside. He got the new one and it "just so happened" that as he walked out, they locked up the store - they were closed for the night!

Many people like to shrug off the "just so happened" parts of the story as coincidences. But after watching these things time after time after time after time, I know better. Every one of those "just so happened" instances was God stepping in and helping a young couple get to their destination safely. He didn't have to. He doesn't always do so either. But the more we watch for God sightings, the more God shows His love and power to remind us that He is in charge of all circumstances and He loves us so very very much.