We Need to Keep our Eye's Wide Open.

"It was the first of two trips I would make covering the miles between Centreville, Maryland and Grand Island, Nebraska. At 5 in the morning I had pulled out of our Maryland driveway with my 1994 Chevy Truck and our 9 year old camper behind. The plan; drive the 1,400 miles to Nebraska in two days, hop a plane back to Maryland the following morning, pack the moving truck, and head out a second time. There was very little room for error-I had to make time. Things were going fine. Around 5pm the first day I was passing Chicago planning to go at least another 3 or 4 hours. That would get me a good night's sleep and plenty of time the next morning to make Nebraska and catch my flight out. I was just passing a spot where several highways come together with all kinds of traffic(not to mention rush hour) when suddenly I felt my truck lurch and seem to have lost power. All the gauges looked good, what could be the problem? One look in the side rear mirror answered my question, rubber was flying everywhere. I had blown a tire on my camper. I pulled over to the side of the road(what side there was), put my flashers on and headed for my tools. It was not to be that easy. That tire had been on the camper for 9 years. All the lugs were rusty. One and a half hours later, I was finally lowering the jack. Can you say "frustrated"?!? Why would God allow this to happen, knowing how tired I already was and how much further I had to go. Oh well, I headed back on the highway determined to still put in the same amount of miles I had planned, it was just going to be a longer day. That night when I finally pulled in to find a motel, I decided to fuel up before heading to the motel. As I was putting gas in my truck, a young man came walking up to me. "Sir, would you like to buy some tools? I need the cash." I told him I was in the process of moving, had been out of work for 8 months and was moving to Nebraska for a new job, so I didn't have the extra cash. Sorry. He wished me well in my new job and quietly moved away. I watched to see where he would go next. He walked over to a beat up old car and there I saw him shake his head as he began talking to a young woman who was holding a baby. I decided I needed to investigate this a little further. So as I pulled away from the pump, I pulled up beside their car. "Son, are you trying to sell your tools to get some gas for your car?" "Yes sir. I've got a job in Omaha if I can get there but I've been out of work too and we've run out of money." " Well, I don't have any money but I have a credit card, so if you pull up to the pump, I can at least fill your tank." He smiled and pulled the car over to the pump. As I pumped the gas, he thanked me warmly and then asked where I was moving from. I told him he probably hadn't heard of it, it was a little town in Maryland called Centreville. His face lit up and he said, "I'm from Preston!" Preston is 15 miles from Centreville. Well, for me...it was certainly a God moment. After I hooked the hose back on the pump, I turned to the young fellow and grabbed his hand and said, "Son, without going into details, let me just tell you that God set it up for me to be here right now. You need to know that God loves you and your family very much...he sent me all this way from Maryland to fill your gas tank at this station." I don't know if he got the full impact of that moment, but I certainly did. God stuck me on the side of the road for an hour and a half just to make sure I would be at that station right at that moment."
My uncle Paul sent this to us in his Christmas letter and it just touched my heart so much. How often do we miss these "God Moments" because we are so frustrated or not paying attention. I hope you all enjoy this story as much as I did and I hope that it is a good reminder and an encouragement to you today. God is STILL working People!! WE just have to have our EYES open to see what he may have planned for us.