Dad, What Are You Doing?

After a quick trip to the grocery store Turner and I were headed home. I noticed a kid walking on the shoulder of a major highway. I thought quickly in my mind about there not being houses on that road for miles. I passed the kid and the thought entered my mind to pick the him up and give a ride. I kept driving. Turner had already reclined his chair to sleep after a busy day.

I wrestled back and forth if I should turn around or keep driving. My flesh wanted to get home. Yet I felt a piercing conviction. I just wrote about loving people who can do nothing for you in return earlier today and knew what I should do. The hypocrisy of it all finally got to me so I u-turned and headed back for the kid.

This is when Turner asked, "Dad, what are you doing?" My simple reply, "I am obeying God."

When we pulled up the kid approached the car and did indeed want a ride. Turns out the kid was a girl  named Hannah who just moved to this area. Normally she would ride the bus home. She walked to a job interview and her ride fell through to bring her home. With no-one available to pick her up for hours she started walking. So she started walking turns out what would have been miles from her home. She lives in Runaway Bay where my family lives. That is nine miles from where I picked her up. She told me she prayed for God to send her a ride. Turner and I were the answer to that prayer.

I asked her about her relationship with Jesus and where she would spend eternity. Turns out she trusted Jesus for salvation back in fifth grade. She said He was all she had to lean on back then. She was extremely polite. She does not own a cell phone. She really needs a job. I may never see her again.

When we dropped her off I asked Turner how he felt. He said good. I asked what things could have happened if we had not stopped to pick her up. He replied, "She could have been hit by a vehicle, it would have taken her more than hour to walk home, and we would have missed out on the blessing."

He missed one other thing. I had the chance to teach my son a valuable lesson about hearing from the Lord, obeying Him, and sharing my faith that I could never pass on in a hundred sermons. He got the chance to see a sermon lived out.

I hope you will get asked what you are doing sometime by one of your children and you will be able to say, "I'm obeying God." That is a lesson that will stick.