quote:

Originally posted by PreteristView:
Eighteen years ago, on my day off I went to wash my truck. I saw a black man with white hair and a white beard wearing a white robe stranded by his white and green vintage station wagon. I stopped to ask if he needed help. He asked me if I would go to the garage that had a tow service so his vehicle could be towed. I did. I returned and waited with him for the tow truck to arrive. After almost an hour, I returned to the garage to see why they had not yet come, and returned again to wait with him.

Another half an hour had passed. I went back to the garage and requested they come, and the mechanic went to the tow truck and followed me. When I arrived back to the man he pulled out a roll of money to give to me for my help. I refused, and told him he didn't owe me anything. He smiled, he had the most amazing blue eyes, and told me - "Truly your reward will be in Heaven." I cannot express the feeling that came over me at that moment, but it was an experience that I have never forgotten and that greatly affected my belief in the possibility of entertaining angels unaware.

This didn't necessarily change my life because my life was already changing but back about 2000 I was travelling between plants to go to a meeting and spotted this homeless fellow walking eastbound as I drove south across a busy intersection. I usually keep a few dollars in my wallet for such things and at that time I had purchased a number of New Testaments that I would give to whomever God led me to .
Instead of proceeding to my destination, I turned around and grabbed one of the NTs and put a few dollars in it. I saw the fellow a little farther down and noticed that he jumped out in traffic and grabbed a 2x4 (lumber) that had fallen off a truck and was obstructing traffic and tossed it aside and commenced with his travel. I pulled alongside and explained that I couldn't give him a ride because of the meeting I was going to but that I wanted him to have the NT and money. He looked at me in a way I can't describe and said "Why you're a child of God" and smiled with a smile that I've never seen before or since. I can only describe that love was emanating from this old man in a way that I'll never explain. I have thought many times of the Matt. 25 "if you have done to the least of these my brethren you have done it unto Me". There are some other things that may have changed my life more, but nothing that I'll remember more.

Thank you for sharing. It seems that I am more often than not, affected by what is considered the little things in life, moreso than the larger events in my life.

Isn't it amazing that what seems so small, in the way of acts of kindness and compassion can have a much larger impact on others' lives?

I think it is significant that both in your experience and in mine, the smile was one like no other.

Did you hurt your shoulder patting yourself on the back? LOOK AT ME, LOOK AT MEEEEE!

quote:

Originally posted by Dr. Jon:
Did you hurt your shoulder patting yourself on the back? LOOK AT ME, LOOK AT MEEEEE!

Since we are both anonymous, guess we'll miss out on all the glory, in this world anyway. Wait, were You that guy??? What a small world, have you been back to Muskogee since 2000? That was you huh? You have changed a lot from being caring , humble ahd helpful though, to being vindictive, arrogant and distasteful, guess it wasn't as good for you as it was for me, huh? Maybe there's a different lifechanging event out there for ya.

R u taking to me or the Duck? (NIV/RSVP)

I was not doing anything for anyone else like the other examples but I do have an experience that changed my life.
15 years ago I was in an abusive relationship. I decided to pack up my 3 sons ages 5,7, and 9 into a very small 2 door car with only an ice chest, food, clothes, pillows and blankets. Thats all we had to our name. I was driving from Indiana to Arizona to move to where my mother lives. My car was very old and didnt have 2nd gear. My father told me that before I leave Indiana I had better have my car title on me just in case I had to junk it and go the rest of the way on a bus. I got all the way to New Mexico and then my car started sputtering and then died. I was stuck on the side of a highway. I didnt know what to do. I had 3 little ones to take care of and I was stuck. I was so frustrated I sat down on the dirt next to the highway and cried. I prayed to God, asking Him if I should have just stayed with my sons abusive father. Then I heard a voice in my head. It wasnt like a literal voice, but more like I was being moved to do what was in my head. I looked around and saw a stick. So I picked up the stick. Something led me to open my hood. Then I was led to unscrew a little bolt like thing and take the metal cover off. I didnt know what I was doing, I looked into that area and something told me to stick the stick into the little hole and try to start the car. So I did. The car started up and smoke poured out the back end. I jumped out of the car, pulled out the stick, put the cover back on and the bolt. I jumped back into my car and something told me to HOLD ONTO that stick. So I put it down next to my seat. I drove another hour to 1 1/2 hours until the car started sputtering and died again. That time I wasnt scared or worried. I just did the same thing with the stick again. The car started up with smoke and all and I drove on again. I dont know how many times I had to pull over to the side of the highway and stick the stick in but I did it over and over and over again until I made it to Arizona. When I pulled into Arizona I never had that problem again. Matter as a fact I drove the car another whole year and it never sputtered and died like that again. I believe that God was watching over me and my sons. He saw how destitute I was and He guided me as to what to do. HE SHOWED MERCY ON US. He was helping me to escape that abusive relationship and move to safety for me and my sons. 2 months after I left Indiana and got to Arizona my son's father died in a drinking and driving accident in Indiana. Thanks be to God for loving and watching over me and my sons.

Thank you so much for sharing. God is Good!

Hoosierwoman,

Years ago I had a similar experience. I too was in a very abusive relationship with three small children. We separated for a full year, and during that time the 'oil bust' of the 80's hit here in OK. Jobs were scarce. I found myself between jobs during that time, and was down to my last seven dollars.

I decided to take all my money and get some things for my kids. I went to our local warehouse store, and as I walked up to the front door, I passed a young man carrying a rolled-up sleeping bag on his shoulder. He was a little dirty looking, and I immediately felt he had been hitch-hiking, probably along the interstate that passed by that store. I went in, purchased all I could, and left with around 60 cents left.

As I was walking to my car, I met the young man again. This time he came up to me, and very humbly asked me if I had any change to spare, and he told me he'd been travelling and hadn't eaten in quite a while. He said any amount would be appreciated. I reached in my pocket, pulled out the 60 cents, and handed it to him, and told him honestly it was all I had, but maybe it would get him something.

I took about five steps toward my car, and suddenly remembered a church near my house, one that was run by Native Americans, and since this young man looked Indian, I figured they would be very happy to help him out. I turned to tell him about it, and the guy was gone! Within just a couple of seconds, he had vanished. I was standing in the middle of that big parking lot alone. I was shocked...I looked all around the perimeter, up the side of the store to the front door, looked under cars, looked inside the cars around where we'd been...nothing. I hadn't heard any car doors open or close, no footsteps running... he was just gone.

I was a little shaken up, but figured he must have been an angel. For whatever reason.

It turned out that I got my old job back shortly after that. My husband wanted to reconcile later on. I didn't want to, but I opened the Bible and read this verse, it jumped right out at me:

Psalm 18:48
He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.

We did end up reconciling. He was never physically violent with me ever again. He would still get verbally abusive and was controlling, but never physically abusive.

I always think about that day, and this verse:

Hebrews 13:2
Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

ANd the cow jumped over the moon! These stories are terrible. All of you should have your children taken from you. You are not fit to have children.

Why should I have had my children taken away from me? Because I was moving 2,000 miles away to protect my children from an abusive man? Do you think it would have been better for me to stay with him and let my sons grow up watching daddy beating mommy and thinking that that is how they should treat their girlfriends/wives? Maybe if I had stayed with him one, two or all three of my sons might have been in the car with their father and they could have died too? Oh yeah I am such a horrible mom!

Okay, here is my story, though it doesn't have a clear moral.

I went on a hiking trip to Canyonlands National Park with a small group of people in 1998. The most remote area of Canyonlands is called The Maze District. No marked trails and very confusing terrain. The hike was planned for 4 days, with 2 days in and 2 days out. We were experienced and well provisioned. The only way to navigate was by compass (pre GPS). On the second day we were in very deep and were preparing to set up camp. A storm came up and we hid in an outcropping in the cliff wall. Unfortunately we left the backpack with the compasses in them on a cairn. Lightning hit the backpack and destroyed all the contents, including the compasses. We spent two days hopelessly lost and trying to exit the Canyon by dead reckoning.

On the third day we were running low on water and were starting to panic when a tame Crow with a leg band flew into the middle of our camp. For lack of a better plan we started following him. He stayed about 20 yards ahead of us for the next day and a half during which time he led us to the ranger station, where it turns out he was a pet. The rangers told us that he routinely flies off for a few days before returning, but that he had never led anyone out of the Maze District before.

At some level we owe that Crow our lives. FWIW -I wouldn't believe that story either, but it is true.

quote:

Originally posted by HoosierWoman:
Why should I have had my children taken away from me? Because I was moving 2,000 miles away to protect my children from an abusive man? Do you think it would have been better for me to stay with him and let my sons grow up watching daddy beating mommy and thinking that that is how they should treat their girlfriends/wives? Maybe if I had stayed with him one, two or all three of my sons might have been in the car with their father and they could have died too? Oh yeah I am such a horrible mom!

Not because you left an abusive relationship but because you "see" things that are not real!
dodododododo (Twlight Zone theme)

quote:

Originally posted by Dr. Jon:
ANd the cow jumped over the moon! These stories are terrible. All of you should have your children taken from you. You are not fit to have children.

DJ's god is government, as is Fred and GBG. They believe Big Brother can raise children better than parents.