A lesson or two

I always say how I think God is a funny deity. He has a funny way of showing us the lessons that we need to learn, even when we don't want to learn them or think that we have already learned them. God shows us what we don't know or perhaps helps us reevaluate whom we are where we are standing on the subject.

So Saturday I went to Bible Study with Rina Zahidi, the Queen of Hall Council. At "Pancakes and Prayer" we read a passage from Psalms and then prayed over certain parts that we found particularly meaningful to our lives. Before this, however, we went around and spoke of were we had been seeing God lately and where we needed help. So I mentioned that I needed patience with people and especially with God. Sometimes I feel like I'm not getting through to people with God and I need the patience that he can bestow and bless to know that HIS work be done on HIS time. So anyway, I'll skip to the story now.

I went to IU this weekend to see Mary, Patty, and anyone else I knew at IU. On the way home, it was raining. It wasn't just raining, it was pouring. So I'm driving up 37 in the rain, thinking that I'm the luckiest person ever to have to drive home in 50-degree rain. Well as I'm on 37, I come upon a wreck and I'm kind of in a hurry, so I see this little road that leads off to the east. I figured that it would lead to another road that I could detour the wreck with and then jump back onto 37. So as I'm driving up the road, it's raining on these semi-mountainous roads and though it's pretty, I'm not seeing any roads. I drive for over 15 minutes before I realize that there isn't a road to take and so I'm forced to turn around. As I'm driving back, I'm struck with the realization that this is a lesson. It's a lesson because I'm impatient. If I would have been patient, I realize as I get back to 37, entirely drenched, I would have seen that the cars were still moving and not at a stand-still like I thought they were earlier. 37 represents Christianity and the road that leads to Heaven--ultimately. Sometimes, on our path, things slow down. Things are not always the greatest, but perhaps that's an ordeal that God is putting you through to strengthen you or to give you experience that you'll need in the future. The road that I took off into Nowheresville, represented the paths that we take as shortcuts away from Christianity. When the going gets tough--people fall off the path of Christianity because things have stopped, things are too hard, because things will be quicker on this other road. Unfortunately, we don't know what obstacles are waiting for us on the other road and so after awhile, when we realize that we're not getting anywhere, we have to turn around. That means facing the same demons, dangerous turns and curves, just as you have once already. However, once you turn back onto the road of Christianity, you see that the traffic is actually moving and that in a few minutes, it will pick up.

As I was driving back to the highway, my fuel light came on. I thought to myself, "Oh Great, God really loves me!" So I was saying a prayer the entire way back to the highway that I'd make it to Martinsville and to a gas station. About fifteen or twenty minutes later, I pulled up to a gas station, entirely drenched in my leather coat and pants--I was freezing and my hands were going numb already...I walked into the gas station and the lady immediately gave me a brand new white towel and said to keep it and dry off. So I did that, gave her the money and said told me to keep safe and drive slowly. In the prayer that I said on the way to the gas station, I said to God that I didn't care how he helped, even if it was through other people--that I just get back to BSU...

That lady was totally a blessing from God, because she not only gave me that towel, her attitude and spirit toward me was just so kind and I think I needed that in the cold. As well, she partly inspired this blog. So, I finally made it back to Ball State and found a parking spot, by God's Grace (I think). I went up into my friend's room, physically exhausted and soaked to the bone, warmed up, ate some dinner, and chatted about God. It's kind funny to see how much we have in common. Needless to say, we share some very close opinions of God and Church. I didn't want to push my luck too much, but I figured that I'd made pretty good progress at talking about religion with him. Later, another friend of ours came in and we watched DJANGO!

God has a sense of humor. Never laughing at us--but definitely chuckling.