No new doors were opening. We were looking at all of the events happening in our lives and felt maybe we were to return to the Coast. We put our belongings in storage, loaded the van, and headed south. We hoped that God would give us a sign that it was time to return home to the Gulf Coast, but to the contrary, occurrences on the Coast affirmed to us that God was not finished with us in Kansas. Such a disappointment, only God knows. There is no doubt that our families did not understand the unnatural departure that we had made from our hometown originally. We didn’t understand it either; we were an enigma to ourselves. My lovely mother commented before we left town, “I am not so much worried about you and Janie, I know that you can take care of yourselves, but it is those five beautiful children I am worried about.” I responded, “If God could take care of multiplied thousands during the exodus of Israel from Egypt, then I am certain that He can take care of us.” She said, “Well, okay!”
Our story continues to unfold.
Jim continues…
Our return trip from the Gulf Coast provided a tragic experience that could have had critical consequences had the improper decision not been made on my part, but, thanks to God, we had been praying, and the right one was made.. It is a wonderful example of the miraculous unseen benefit of responding to help a total stranger.
This event happened to us during our return trip from the Coast after spending a couple of days with our families. We decided to stop at the Precious Moments’ Museum in Carthage, Missouri about an hour south of Kansas City. After touring the museum, we headed to the gift shop to look around. I instructed the children to watch Kellie, our handicapped child, while I went to bring the van around to the front door. Kellie was able to walk, but not speak. As I pulled to the front door of the museum everyone piled into the van, shut the doors, and I started heading out of the lengthy parking lot.
As I drove slowly away from the building I noticed to my right a middle-aged woman in the parking lot staring at a flat tire on her vehicle. It was at dusk, and I really did not want to delay my trip by stopping to perform a good deed. I drove past her slowly, searching my heart, asking myself, “Do I really want to help her, or let someone else do it?” Finally, I knew that I had to help. I had already passed her, so I put the van in reverse, and when I turned my head around to back up, I saw Kellie walking stiff legged as fast as she could down the parking lot with a total look of fright etched all over her face. My heart was crushed as I realized that we had accidentally left without her. Janie had thought that she was with me, and I thought Janie had her with the other kids. Kellie got in the van and was visibly upset.
I started thinking of all of the possibilities that my mute daughter could have experienced while being stranded in a parking lot with us driving on our way back to Kansas. I was so devastated that words could not begin to describe my inner feelings. I changed the lady’s tire and so humbly thanked the LORD over and over for allowing her to have a flat, and then giving me the grace to do what was right! Even to this day, I will not allow myself to think of the different events that could have transpired had I not stopped. I have thanked the LORD a thousand times and even still as I type this book, I thank Him.
We never know when we perform a good deed how it will be returned to us in reward. The reward I received was certainly worth the small amount of trouble or delay I experienced in making the choice to change the flat tire for a lady in distress. I know without doubt that Satan wanted to sift me through a horrible crucible, “but God” in His mercy and love provided a means to deny my archenemy his prize. We are in a battle to the end, and our enemy is playing for real. He truly wants to destroy our witness, our children, our marriage, our business, and anything else he can in order to dissuade us from following our LORD. He wants us to blame God for the bad things that happen and therefore cause us to turn our backs and walk away from Him. This is precisely why we should always lean towards mercy when helping others, because the return blessing may be one that we truly needed!