Easing the car into second gear
I cautiously descended the slope,
The area was dark and lonely
And the rain made it difficult to cope.
This road was treacherous at its best
But that night was surely the worst,
It was winding and undulating
It was more like an obstacle course.
In addition to all of these
It was narrow and it was long,
This was not for the faint of heart
But for the steady handed and strong.
Somewhere in between was I,
I know I was neither of the two
But it did not matter at the time
What I had bitten off I must chew.
Down that slippery slope I drove,
My intention to arrive at home
And to do so in one solid piece
Not with cuts and broken bones.
A time or two I felt a slide
That took all my skill to correct,
The more I drove the more I thought
What a daunting prospect!
There was no one else on the road
Of that I was absolutely sure,
Only a madman would travel this road,
Beside me could there be more?
Before long I had my answer
And not in the way you would expect,
While negotiating a dangerous bend
I saw the light from the wreck.
I was undecided in my mind
Whether I should stop and check
Or simply continue on my way,
That is what most would expect.
I reluctantly decided on the latter
And continued to drive along
But a voice arrested my thoughts
And it became increasingly strong.
“What if it were you?” it said to me.
“Would you not like someone to stop?”
With that I had no other choice
But to accept this as my lot.
I backed up the car as best as I could
But was forced to block the road,
I prayed, “Do let someone come by
And help to ease this load.”
The terrain was quite rugged
As I climbed slowly down to the wreck,
All I could see was a mangled car
And I wasn’t sure what to expect.
Eventually I reached the car
The body was still trapped within,
Given the damage the car had sustained
The prospects of life appeared dim.
It was a young man it seemed to me
For a moment he looked like my son,
That initial thought returned to me
I had considered continuing my run.
I was glad, however, I had stopped
To give a helping hand
Even though at that very moment
I wasn’t sure how to help this man.
I was hoping for some movement
To show he was still alive
But the only indicators that I saw
Told me he did not survive.
I placed the flashlight on the seat
And then reached for my cellphone,
I made a call for assistance
And stated we were all alone.
There was nothing more that I could do
But wait until help arrive,
Meanwhile I sat there and stared at him
Hoping he was still alive.
I began to think about his soul
Whether he was saved or lost
And whether he had heard about Jesus
And how he had paid sin’s cost.
Right then that voice came back to me
That voice that arrested my thoughts,
“Go right ahead and speak to him
That’s why to this you were brought.”
It was not an audible voice
But to me it was clear as day
So I hearkened to that inner voice
And let it have its way.
I told him of the plight
Of dying without the Lord,
I told him how he could be saved
According to God’s Word.
I told him of my experience
And how I almost passed him by,
I told him salvation was critically important
And he must get it before he dies.
Then the voice conveyed to me,
“You have done what you could do,
You told him what my word has said
Not someone’s personal view.”
I heard a sound in the distance
It was the sound I yearned to hear,
Help was surely arriving
Soon he would have medical care.
The young man was taken from the wreck
And to the hospital rushed,
His body appeared to be intact
Nothing seemed to be crushed.
The medical personnel said not a word
They did just as they were trained,
Clearly as it appeared to me
This young man was out of his pain.
I followed behind the ambulance
To the hospital I also went,
Home was no longer on my mind
That young man was my intent.
I gave in my name and cellphone number
At the receptionist’s desk
Then I reluctantly went on home
At a nurse’s request.
Several weeks after I received a call
The number to me was unknown,
I considered not answering it
But that voice said, “Answer the phone.”
“Hello,” I said suspiciously
And then waited for the reply,
“I called to let you know my friend
Because of you I did not die.
I would be happy to tell you more
If only it can be arranged,
The best part of the event is yet to come
I know you’ll find that strange.”
We met not many days after that
Over a sumptuous meal,
When I heard what he related
It is hard to express how I still feel.
“I heard every word that you said to me
Even though I could not reply,
Most of all I heard what you said
About accepting Jesus before I die.
Right there and then unknown to you
I did just as you had asked
And now today I am happy to say
Jesus completed the task.
I am not only alive in the physical
But alive in the spiritual too,
Jesus saved my wretched soul
And made me over brand new.
I thank you for stopping on your way
In that dangerous and deserted place
But more than that I give God thanks
For His amazing grace.”
This narrative though not an actual event
Is a daily recurring case,
For as we hurriedly attend to our agenda
People vanish in front our face.
That voice is constantly reminding us
“Stop! Back up and give some help.”
A kind deed or an encouraging word
Can cause the hardest heart to melt.
Stewart Russell © October 2017
No comments:
Post a Comment