It was a beautiful summer morning, and I was running late (as usual) for bible study. As I pulled out of my subdivision, I noticed a very old, beat up car with a flat tire off to the side of the road, a young girl trying unsuccessfully to change it.
I hate to even admit this, but my initial thought was, “I can’t stop to help; I’ll be late for bible study!”
This particular group had a habit (and expectation) of punctuality, and the shame I would feel at having to come in late and walk all the way to the back of the room with all eyes staring at me was in the forefront of my mind. … At least until the irony of it all kicked in.
I could hear God saying, “Trish, are you going to spend time with me, or learning about me?” … “Are you more concerned about what I think, or are you more concerned about what the women in bible study think?”
And then the insecurity crept in; I had NO IDEA how to change a tire! What sort of help could I possibly provide? … But I knew, without a doubt, that God was asking me to stop and help this young woman. … So, I pulled over.
We exchanged pleasantries, and I confessed to her that I really had no idea how to change a tire. But at this point, traffic was coming fast and furiously down this country road as people headed into work, so I offered to stand in the road and direct traffic around her so she wouldn’t get hit.
After a short time, a garbage truck started coming down the street, and there was a garbage can close to where we were working. The truck driver, in the middle of his workday, stopped his truck, and changed her tire. I’m not sure who was more grateful for the truck driver – her or me. To be honest, I’m pretty sure it was me!
Now she had a spare tire, which would only take her so far, an original tire that was beyond repair, and a very old, beat up car that clearly had issues. I asked her if she wanted me to follow her to Discount Tire, but she told me she didn’t have enough money to buy a new tire. She proceeded to tell me all of the problems she was facing – financial and otherwise – and I felt this overwhelming urge to do more … but what?
At that moment, I had my own issues – financial and otherwise - I was dealing with. There was a time in my life when, if I’d had a credit card, I would have immediately offered to take her to Discount Tire and pay for the tire (or tires) myself. (It’s amazing how generous we can be when we’re spending money we don’t have yet). But we were on a tight budget, and I just didn’t have cash at that moment to help her.
As I was talking to her, I was praying, “God, what do you want me to do to help this woman?”
The answer came: “You know, Trish, if I had wanted you to buy her new tires, I would have provided you the resources to buy her new tires. … Just stay with her, Trish. Let her know she’s not alone.”
She decided she was just going to drive back home; apparently it wasn’t far, only about 5 – 10 minutes away. But I told her I would follow her to make sure she got there okay.
The whole ride to her house, I was talking to God. I really wished I could do more, but the answer kept coming back, “Just stay with her.”
When we got safely to her house, she told me some more of her story. I started to gather that her situation wasn’t just about tires. … and that, swooping in with new tires was like putting a band-aid on a hemorrhage. God was the only One who could really help her, and it was going to require more than a new tire.
She thanked me for stopping to help her, and for taking the time to talk with her, and for following her home, and I backed out of her driveway and headed off to bible study.
As I drove, I started thinking about my own situation – financial and otherwise … And I suddenly knew what God was trying to tell me – and show me.
“I’m not going to fix this for you, Trish. But I will stay with you. … I’ll stay with you.”
© I Lift My Voice, 2015.