EDITOR’S NOTE: The following story comes from a young man who befriended my 20-year-old son in Oskhosh, Wis. When I met Rob for the first time last summer, I immediately sensed something extraordinary about him and was grateful that Marty had him for a friend. The two young men visited us on Stucker Mesa here in Colorado over Labor Day weekend, and I had the chance to talk more with Rob about his beliefs and found him to be an unusually open individual. He has allowed me to share his story of a recent event.
I’ve always questioned my religion, and the world around me, but I’ve always been religious, if that makes sense. I have always felt close to God. This is something I’m very open about discussing, but I generally don’t. Discussion about God is outwardly awkward in most cases, with most people.
And it is my belief that God sees through my eyes, and I see through His. There is beauty and purpose in all things -- this is just a simple truth. It all just hits very heavily sometimes. I believe every minute is "Godly," but some moments and some events are bold and undisputable. I’ll explain what I mean now.
About three weeks ago, I was in my hometown, visiting. I borrowed Marty’s car, because his is a lot more dependable than mine. It was my plan to go back down to Oshkosh on that Saturday morning, as I had to work Saturday evening. But I had a "very nice time" Friday evening, to say the least, and when the Saturday morning sunlight hit my face, I did not feel at all like driving four hours to go to work.
I am a pretty dependable employee, and I am seldom absent from work. I felt it was justifiable to call in just this once, and give an excuse as to why I couldn’t bartend on this night. The excuse that popped into my head was to say that the timing belt on Marty’s car had been broken, and that I was stranded and could not come to work.
I used this excuse. I called in and lied through my teeth. And I had another nice evening in my hometown.
Sunday comes, and I am finally ready to go back. I leave Sunday evening with no concerns, no stress, and no remorse. Halfway between Rice Lake and Oshkosh, there is a town called Necedah. In Necedah, there is a remarkable religious shrine that people from all around come to and pray at. On this Sunday evening, I am unaware completely of this fact. I know nothing of the shrine. I don’t find this out until the next day.
In Necedah and the surrounding area, there are no music radio stations that come in well. Because of this, I was listening to a religious program with an evangelist telling the story of Ruth. The Book of Ruth is a tiny, four chapter book in the Old Testament. It’s a love story, mostly, and it entertains me enough to listen attentively. I am about halfway through the story of Ruth when Marty’s car breaks down just outside Necedah.
The car comes to a stop and dies. I turn on the hazard lights and pop the hood to see if I can figure anything out, which I can’t. In the midst of this, I slam the car door. This locks the key in the car with the lights on and the radio running.
I feel pretty stranded suddenly. Stuck. I had no cash on hand. I would have to walk about a mile to get back into town, and it was pretty cold. So I calmly said these words:
"I am not saying this to get out of a sticky situation, or to have You prove Yourself to me. But I am stuck, and I would like to be reassured that I see through Your eyes and You see through mine. Not for a way out of this, but for comfort. Just ‘Be’ with me now."
I said these words to myself and to God, and as I looked up afterward, a car was pulling over. A woman wound her window down and told me that she "never does this," but she felt compelled to pull over and help me. I got into her car, in awe of how speedy God was with sending help.
This is the beginning of my awe.
Before I say anything about my car or me, I almost instinctively ask her what her name is.
"Ruth."
The woman who appears from nowhere to help me is named Ruth. The name is freshly put into my head by the radio program, and I only heard half of the story. I knew she would tell me that was her name. I knew she would, and when she did, I had inner peace.
Real inner peace. And excitement. And wonder.
Ruth drove me into town and called AAA. Ruth asked me about my life as we waited for them to come and pick the lock on the car. With clarity now, I understand that my timing belt will be the problem. I just know it now, because I had lied about it. But I am not upset that I am broke down. I am ecstatic. We drive back to my car, and I notice that I had broken down just in front of St. Joseph’s Inn. Ruth asked me about finances, and I didn’t get a chance to answer. She gave me money to stay at the inn. I tried not to take it, but I had to.
AAA came and unlocked the car, and I shut its lights off and locked it for the evening. I checked into the inn with Ruth’s money and said goodbye. When I told the innkeeper about my breakdown, he informed me that a mechanic was right next door. Literally, I had broke down in front of the mechanic’s driveway.
That night in the inn, I read the Book of Ruth, as well as the Book of Matthew. I played guitar and bathed and wrote. I barely slept at all. I woke up early and went to the mechanic next door. We pushed the car across the road and he took a look. Of course I didn’t need him to tell me, but after a second he looked up and said the timing belt had broken. I smiled.
I called my friend Ben and he came to get me, as it would be a week before the mechanic could fix the car. Everything is as it was now, but I will remember this night forever. As a final note to this story, I was discussing my adventure with Ben on the way home, and he told me about the Shrine in Necedah, and that there are many testimonies about the feeling of God being there. I didn’t know this until after it was all over, but I will certainly attest to that feeling. On my next pass through Necedah, I will definitely stop to finally see the Shrine.
Anyway, I swear to God that this is a true story. I only do this because it sounds very outlandish to a lot of people. I know that you will accept it easily. I get excited thinking of your reaction.