Stranded in the Left Turning Lane

It had been a busy work day and I felt stretched to the limit. Plus it was the week before Christmas and my TO DO LIST was not done. During the drive home time, I talked over some details with my daughter on my cell phone. The red light at a busy intersection turned green. I was the first car in the left turning lane. As I accelerated to make my turn, I realized my car had died. "Oh, no! My car died." I exclaimed. I tried to restart. Nothing. Restart. Nothing. There was no sound that made me hopeful that the ignition would engage and my car engine would roar back to life. My daughter offered to call my husband. Immediately, cars behind me were honking. I put my flashers on. I did not exit my car to lift the hood for fear of being hit by the cars going around me on both sides. My husband called and made diagnostic inquiries. Did you try this? Did you try that? My terse answer was Yes, yes! Please come right now and get me out of here.

It was a cold, dark night. I was not in a safe place. I expected the sound of crunching metal at any moment. A police officer pulled up next to my drivers side. I rolled down the window. He asked the obvious question, Are you having car trouble? I acknowledged yes. He said he would drive around and pull up behind me. I am within moments of help and rescue yet the minutes seemed endlessly long. At last the flashing blue light appeared in my rear view mirror. A sense of peace and security replaced my anxiety and dread. Even though I was in the same place, I now felt safe. The officer held traffic while two Good Samaritans pushed my car across three lanes and into a parking lot. My husband arrived and took over the situation. I was shaken and very relieved to go home to a place of safety.

Has your journey on the road of life ever left you stranded in the left turn lane of a busy intersection? Without warning, you are stalled in an unsafe place and surrounded by dire circumstances. Your sense of control replaced with helplessness. Your plans are waylaid. Your direction has been diverted. Your independence has been swapped with a dependence on the help of others. What do you do? Where do you turn? Do you cling to your own devices and continue to struggle? Or do you call upon the authority above all, the Lord Jesus Christ and accept His offer of help and strength? The Lord, our 'blue light' in life, will drive in behind you, beside you or lead you. He will guide you in the right direction. He will protect and keep you safe in His hands. Trust Him to guide you on your journey home.
Psalm 121:2 (ESV) My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 46:1 (CSB) God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble.

I hugged a stranger, all because of a soft answer.

I went to Sam's Club with my grandchildren Ava and Micah to order his birthday cupcakes from their bakery. We filled out the order form and were waiting at the bakery counter. When the customer ahead of us left, we stepped forward with our order. I heard a voice speak behind me. I turned around and said, "Pardon me. Did you say something?" The older woman answered sharply, "Yes! I said thanks for butting in front of me!" I had a split second to choose between answering with a snippy retort or treating her with kindness. I responded with an apology, explaining I thought I was next from where I had been standing and offered her to go ahead. "No, no! I can wait. I have to order a cake." She snapped back at me. I didn't notice any order form in her hands. "Did you fill out an order form yet?" I asked. Her answer was more civil. "No, I didn't." I showed her the counter that held the forms and handed her one with a pen. She thanked me and said she was sorry for snapping at me. I told her it was okey and we went on our way to do more shopping.
Later on in the store, this same lady stopped me. "I am sorry that I was so rude to you. You were so nice and helpful to me." She related that she was grieving and had many things on her mind. I caught myself reaching out to give her a hug and stopped. "I'm sorry, I was about to give you a hug." I explained. She replied, "I really would like a hug." So I hugged this stranger. Though I didn't know her, I recognized a familiar emotions common to all of us. A hurting person reacting to an ordinary situation in a less than best way.
When my grandchildren and I were back in the car, I asked them what they thought would have happened if I had spoken to the lady the same way she had spoken to me. They both agreed that she probably would have gotten even more angry and that would not have been good. I mentioned there is a verse in the Bible that speaks about giving a soft answer. Ava immediately quoted, "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Exactly Ava! And we just saw how that verse works!