I'm writing a short story. It's a memoir of sorts. The narrative begins in May of last year when me and Jesus took a walk around the grounds of Mahaffey Camp. What transpired over the next six months became a tale worth telling so I committed to write it. The weight of the story has me laboring over each word. It's a work that I cannot do with distractions. I am close to the end but struggling to get it finished. So this week, I packed up and headed back to camp to finish the wordsmithing at the place where it started. I imagined being tucked away in my little cottage with my dog, a blanket, and a cup of coffee while the Holy Spirit fueled prose would appear on my laptop screen. Reality has not rolled out with near that much romance.
Camp is covered with snow. That is a sight that many of its seasonal guests never get to see. So when I arrived yesterday I went about taking pictures. The sky was very grey and I wished for a little sun to make the pictures more interesting. The forecast said that today would have moments of sun so I made a note to self to watch for that and maybe retake some of those pictures.
I got up with nervous energy about writing and struggled to get my left brain engaged. I decided to retrace the steps of that original walk with Jesus and ask for His help. I took my time, letting the dog play in the snow and sipping my coffee. Once back at the cottage I unpacked my laptop - and discovered that I had not brought the power cord. It's a 30 minute drive to the closest store but I really had no choice. I got in my big truck and headed toward the exit gate. Just then, the sun came peeking around the sky's dismal grey matter. I didn't want to stop and get sidetracked taking pictures. That would likely be the distraction that kept me from getting the writing done. But I knew this might be my one and only chance to retake those photos. So I parked the truck but left it running, and ran to get just a few good shots of the bell tower and bridge hoping to be back on the road in a few minutes. Again, not how reality rolled out.
When I got back from my little photo shoot I noticed that my truck had a seriously deflated tire and was not going to roll anywhere. Options are limited on the side of this little mountain in Western Pennsylvania but I headed slowly and prayerfully to a small service station two miles away - next to the general store and the local diner. I am sure Jesus got me there.
The attendant filled the tire and then noticed a piece of metal sticking out of the side wall. The air hemorrhaged out as fast as he put it in. He reported that the mechanic was busy all day. I didn't panic or protest, the woman I want to be when I grow up would not do either. I just asked him what he thought I should do. He disappeared for a moment and then came back and told me to pull the truck into the bay. The mechanic set immediately to the task. He said my tire could not be salvaged and he didn't like the condition of my spare. He reported that this was not a size in stock and it would take days to get one. Another mechanic working a few feet away overheard the discussion and pointed to 4 used tires in the corner that had just been replaced. They "just happened" to be my size and in pretty good condition. My mechanic exclaimed "Well that's just divine intervention ma'am". Fifteen minutes later I was on my way to get a replacement charger for my laptop. The replacement turned out to be way better than the original and will charge my phone at the same time. This will be an added convenience when writing at the cottage where I have to run wifi off of my phone.
If I hadn't tried to leave camp to get a charger, or stopped on my way out to take pictures, my truck would be sitting with a flat tire and this would be a very different story. I'd be stuck, scrambling for funds, and not writing anything. I have a ton of these "just happened" stories, and usually, they are what I would consider, more miraculous than this one. But I could not let go of what happened today. I kept thinking - "What the enemy meant for evil God meant for good". (Genesis 50:20)
I know God wants me to finish writing that story, it's about Him and His Goodness and Mercy. And so I also know that the enemy does not want it written and today he tried to stop me. My little drama today was the stage where every shot by the enemy got answered and defeated. I am sure there is an angel in the King's army who is probably complaining right now about being assigned to me. LOL
I am not unique in mission - there is something God wants you to do. You and I have no idea what He is going to do with our efforts when we are obedient. So take your assignment from the King seriously. The enemy will object to your efforts so expect resistance. Sometimes the battles are fierce and have grandiose details where God seems to part the sky and His intervention is loud, like the story I am working on. And sometimes Heaven and hell fight over us with the mundane like flat tires and power cords and it just feels like normal junk. What's normal is that this war, in either form, exists every day. Don't fall for the enemy's discouragement and don't miss the divine provisions along the way.