I had my conversion to Christ in the most unusual way. Something odd triggered me into believing Jesus had truly risen, and I was born again to Him. It was a very simple thing, but at the time it was an all consuming power, and daily I praise the Lord for entering into my life. I wrote to tell you how Christ came me, and how simple of a thing that could happen to bring Him closer into yours.
The morning was so hot I could hardly see beyond the dash board at the highway ahead. Heat fumes were rising from the hood of my borrowed car. I was driving Betsy's, my cousin, car. The old thing always got me where I needed to go though it was a bit of a clunker.
I had to travel to a town about 50 miles away from my home that one morning, and not minding where I was going I found I was somehow heading into a deserted urban side of the bigger city I was then driving to. The old housing section was empty and most of the houses were vacant and standing idle. Some of the screen doors had swung open, and a few of the windows were broken out. The heat outside the car's side window was moving up in waves from the old asphalt road as I slowly moved along trying to make out what I had gotten myself into. Driving further into the abandoned housing area, I had pulled myself forward towards the dashboard window staring out at the row of empty houses and wondering where I was when suddenly the warning light started to blink indicting that Becky's car was over heating. It left me no choice but to stop and pull myself together with this tragedy.
I knew nothing about cars, so luck was the best I could hope for. I stood outside the car wondering what to do waiting for the engine to cool down, but the red light on the dash continued to stay on. I waited for an hour, the light was still on. Popping in an out of the front seat, I stood looking into the overheated engine from the raised auto's hood. Betsy wasn't home or she hadn't answered her cell, and I was getting more peeved by the minute. I stood dazed in front of the open hood hanging my head disillusioned. I must have stood there for another hour when I heard faint musical sounds coming from the house where the over-heated car sat at.
Pulling in my courage, I strolled across the grass and up the sidewalk leading to an ailing, concrete front porch. Climbing up three cracked and ruined steps, I stood in front of a tattered, screen-in porch door. The battered entrance was ajar and the TV was playing. I heard some singing sliding out the 12 inch propped opening. I pulled the torn rusted screen towards me and lightly tapped on the weather-worn door. I tried calling into the open air of the room. "Hello. I need help. Can you help me, please. My car is over-heated. I can't seem to get it to cool down. Hello, anybody home?"
As I stood waiting for someone to come to my inquiry, I heard a man talking about Jesus from a TV. He talked about Moses and the bible story. Smiling, I stood listening recalling it from my vacation bible school days. I must have listened for a good five minutes before I tried calling out again. Pushing my head a little more into the propped opening, I shouted loudly through the crack, "Is anybody in here! Can I please get some water. My car is over-heated. Hello!"
Suddenly, the door flung open and a slender woman stood staring down at me. Looking straight up a 6'3" frame, my sweaty arm pointed out and towards the stranded car. Stammering, I tried to say something about the vehicle again. She pushed the screen forward and step onto the porch. I pulled back and stepped down one landing avoiding a possible collision with the tattered screen. I asked again, "Can I please get some water? My car...," pointing over to my poor little dead bomb, "I've tried for nearly two hours but the crazy thing still won't start. The warning light keeps coming on."
She went back inside and I stood watching her enter into another room. The wind gave a bit of a gusty hoot and the door slowing slide closed again. But the TV became louder again catching my attention. The same preacher spoke of the miracles of Christ. This time there was something to it or the way he said it made the message sound necessary and very real and towards me.
In the tiny ajar the woman inside loudly yelled out through the doorway, "Push open the door!" Slowly sliding the faded door forward I saw her holding two buckets of water in her hands. Smiling, she pushed one of the pails at me. Her long, broad grin of faded, separated teeth caught me off guard by its appearance, I stared up at her a moment. Catching myself I pulled one of the heavy buckets of water through the door. Heading down the concrete steps the christian music blared through the door's opening as the tall woman and I cut across the grass to the street curb where Betsy's car was waiting.
Slowly pouring the water into the radiator, and I thanked her for the help. She smiled again showing her long, separated teeth and said, "Let's thank God I was home and here today." I agreed and let loose a long sigh of relief.
Finally finishing up the business I had to do in the big city, I headed back home. Well, between the deserted houses, the TV preacher and the favors from that tall slender woman, I felt something had stopped me on that very day. I couldn't seem to put any one real thing to that moment in time, so I eventually came to see the incident as Jesus driven. I felt it was for me to surrender my daily task to the interest in the Lord, and I did. I'm very happy about going to church now. I have found a renewed love with an honest interest for our Lord and savior. I try also to work at being faithful to His needs. The traumas in the accident of an over-heated car turned my life into a few hours of havoc, but I found Jesus here. He talk to me by singing songs and telling a bible story over a preaching TV show centered in the middle of a abandoned housing area. For once, I'm very glad He did that for me. I now have stood hours waiting just to have service in His great power and His all consuming grace. Amen
