#536: Sometimes Things Work in Mysterious Ways

Sometimes we are led into an unexpected situation for a reason. Last night I was going to gas up my car on the way to bowling league . I need to park on the right side of the pumps to reach my gas cap on the left of my car. The station I was going to stop at had a car already on the right side and I didn't feel like making a u-turn to get to the other side of the pumps so I decided to find a station on the way home.

Having no specific station in mind I chose to stop at a WAWA. When I entered the driveway a van partially blocked the way, making cars drive around it. I passed it, stopped, and asked the driver, who introduced himself as Edwin, if he needed help pushing his van out of the way. He and I, with my back problems, pushed his van mostly out of the way then took a breather. Another man came to help so we joined together to move the van to a safe spot that didn't block other cars.

The third man left and Edwin repeatedly said, "Bless you for helping," then pulled out his driver's license and gave it to me, saying he was an honest man and asking if I would give him a ride to his mechanic friend's house to pick up his friend and drive them both back to fix the van. He offered to pay me and to let me keep his driver's license. Yeah, I could have been asking for trouble but d. I would have appreciated help if I had been in his situation.

We drove to his friend's house , not too far from mine, and enjoyed an conversation during the ride. We loaded his friend's, Alexandro's, tools into the car and drove back to the van. Not once did I feel threatened. Edwin called his wife and I heard him tell her that God had sent an angel to help him.

I showed Edwin how to use the flashlight feature on his cell phone, as someone had shown me, and together we had enough light for Alexandro to make the repair and get the van running again.

Edwin and I shook hands and he again offered to pay me. I told him he didn't need to pay me anything, that when I was in Boy Scouts we promised to do a good deed daily, that some days there are no opportunities to do that but other days offer several chances to help someone, so if he would pay it forward we were square.

With many more "God bless you's," he drove away. I gassed up my car and drove home with a lightness in my heart.

If that car had not been at the first station I was going to I would gassed up there and taken a different road home, the usual one I take. I feel the Lord put that car there so I could lend a hand to a fellow in need. Now I have both of their names and addresses and hope we can get together for lunch sometime.

Things often work in mysterious ways.