$40 Miracle

God sees the big picture, and He never gives us more than we can handle. He allows the storms of our lives to rock the ship we inhabit, and sometimes those storms are so fierce that we wonder if He is even at the helm. He provides when He feels it is necessary, and sometimes He doesn't. I suppose one's faith plays a big part in whether or not He answers a prayer in a way we hoped he would, but sometimes His answers have more to do with the big picture, than they have to do with our selfish desires.

As I look back upon my life it is riddled with trials and suffering, as well as blessings and miracles. In some ways, on paper, there were many times my wife and I should not have survived financially. In 1985, I should not have survived medical circumstances that normally would kill a man.

In this way, I understand that miracles still happen.

Sometimes, miracles are small, but effective.

The year was 1997. My wife and I had fallen on some difficult times. Financially, we were on the edge of losing our home. I was not one to ask family for favors, so instead of holding my hand out I changed careers from a banker/financial advisor to a city worker, and then to construction, in order to make ends meet. I was new in the construction industry, and my paychecks, at that time, were usually barely enough to cover expenses and buy a small amount of groceries.

During this particular month, we were short $40.00. Whether I liked it or not, unless $40 suddenly appeared for me, I would have to start juggling bills.

The end of another day of hard labor was upon me. The work truck we all rode in was normally parked in a parking lot a good fifteen minute drive from my house, and while we were at work, our personal vehicles remained in that lot until we returned at the end of the day. At the time, I was driving a blue four-speed Toyota pick-up. My co-worker drove an old Chevy truck, with a lot of car parts, and jugs of oil in the bed. As we parked the work truck and disembarked, a man walked up to us, coming from a group of people standing outside of a minivan.

The approaching man asked my co-worker about the jugs of oil in the back of his truck, thinking they may be gasoline. My friend advised the man that they were oil.

Gasoline was what the man needed, for the minivan had run out of gas, and there was no gas stations along the nearby exit from the freeway, so they coasted into the parking lot we stood in.

My co-worker told the man he was sorry, but he could not help him, and then got into his truck, fired up the engine, and drove away.

I turned to the man and said, "I have no gasoline, but there is a gas station one off-ramp up the road. If you wish to ride with me in my truck, I can take you there and bring you back. Surely, they sell gas cans at that station."

The man agreed, ran over to his group to explain to them the plan, and then joined me in my junky old pick-up truck.

As I shifted the gears and rolled out of the parking lot, the man told me that he was the Best Man in his friends wedding. The group of folks in the parking lot, standing next to the minivan, was the Bride, Groom, the Bride's parents, and a few other members of the wedding party. The wedding was to be the next day, and they had decided to take a trip out to the nearby wineries in Temecula for entertainment. When they realized they were getting ready to run out of gas, they had exited the freeway only to discover that there was no gas station at the off-ramp they had chosen. At that time, the minivan spitted, sputtered, and ran out of gas - leaving them to literally coast down the hill into the parking lot he had greeted me and my friend in.

Then the man in my truck asked me, "I noticed your bumper sticker on your window. 'Abortion - One Dead, One Wounded.' Are you a Christian?"

I responded, "Yes. I attend Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside."

The Best Man said, "I used to go to church. I don't know. Never really bought into all that. Going to church never did anything for me."

I said, "I don't go to church hoping it will do something for me. I go to church to worship God, and enjoy the fellowship with fellow Christians."

"Has God been doing things for you?"

"Not at all," I replied. "The Christian life is a hard one. We are imperfect beings, and following Christ is about being more like Him - a perfect being. I am a sinner, as is every other person on this Earth. I am no more righteous than you, or anyone else. I do not deserve His grace, and I could never earn salvation by my works, no matter how many charities or good deeds I do. In reality, being a Christian is an impossible life. The goal is to be more like Christ, and it is an impossible task to be like Him, because He is perfect, and we are not. But, we pursue it anyway. I don't try to be more like Him in my walk, however, because the Ten Commandments tells me to, or because I have to follow some set of rules. I do so because I love the Lord so much that I want to do what is pleasing to Him. He was willing to die a gruesome death so that I may have eternal life. The least I can do is try to fashion my life after His, and share the good news with as many people as I can. Some will accept Him, some won't. But one thing is for sure: Despite the argument that Christianity is some kind of inclusive religion, it turns out that it is available to all people. Anyone of any walk, background, or of any history of sins can call upon the Name of the Lord and be saved. It is available to everyone. His sacrifice was sufficient for all sin."

The Best Man in my truck was in deep thought as I pulled into the parking lot of the gas station. I went inside with him, and he bought a gas can, of which we filled once outside. After he placed the can in the back of my truck, we set out to return to the minivan in the parking lot one off-ramp away.

"Tell me about your church," he asked.

"It is pretty casual. You don't have to dress up if you don't want to, but most folks do. I go in jeans and a colored T-shirt, myself. The music is a mixture of old hymns and modern Christian pop and rock. The pastor, Greg Laurie, is a man of God, and a fantastic teacher. I leave each sermon feeling as if he was speaking directly to me. The teachings are biblical. Fundamental and evangelical, I suppose you could say, but the church is independent, so it doesn't belong to any religious conference or specific relgious affiliation. We are simply a bunch of Christians who gather each Sunday to pray, worship, sing, and learn. I have been going there since the early eighties, and for my spiritual being, it is home."

It turned out he lived in Riverside, and was considering returning to church. He appreciated all that I had told him, and I simply thanked him for listening.

Once we returned to the parking lot he poured the gallon or two of gasoline in the minivan, and the vehicle started right up. Everyone thanked me with a handshake, and a couple hugs, and as I began to walk back to my truck, the man that had ridden with me ran up and offered me some money.

"That is okay," I said. "I simply helped you out because I wanted to."

"You have to take something for the time and gas. Please don't reject my generosity."

I took the two bills, shook hands with him, shoved the money in my pocket, and drove home.

On the way home I was excited by the opportunity to share the love of Christ with someone. I thanked the Lord for the opporuntity, and sang along with the Christian music playing on my speakers. About half way home, curious if the two bills in my pocket was a pair of ones as I expected, I pulled them out and unwrinkled them.

The Best Man had given me two twenty dollar bills - exactly $40 - the amount I needed to finish paying my bills for the month.

A small miracle on an otherwise eventless day.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

By Douglas V. Gibbs