Encouragement

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“Baby it’s a all night thing,” Nora sang as the rain hit the roof of the car in rhythm with the music playing on her car radio. Nora held a cigarette in the corner of her mouth with her baseball cap backwards on her head. The speed limit read fifty- five but she drove at sixty. As Nora attempted to slightly turn the steering wheel to the right to go around a curb, the car went out of control.

Nora ended up on top of a small thin divider that was on the left side of the road. Nora was driving a little too fast on the slick roads. She sat there with her baseball cap now covering one eye and the cigarette dangling from her mouth. The on coming cars on the other side of the divider, looked at her as they slowly drove by seeing she was alive. Nora nervously began to shake. She took the cigarette from her mouth and put in out in the ashtray. Nora than took the baseball cap from her head. She turned down the music and took a deep breath. Nora put the car in reverse as she looked behind her and then in the rear view mirror. She slowly backed up and then put the car in drive. Nora slowly approached the mall still a little shaken and thanking God that no other cars were in the left lane when her car jumped up on the divider.

Nora pulled her car into a parking space. She reached for her umbrella in the back seat and emerged from the car. Nora loved to shop especially on Sundays. That was her past time. As Nora walked up and down the isles in the department store, she had no clue what she was in there for. She really didn’t need anything. All she knew was that she wanted to shop. Nora noticed a beautiful blouse that hung up on the wall. The sleeves were stretched and posed as if someone was wearing it. Nora looked below the blouse and noticed a rack full of them in one color. She found her size and immediately stood on line. There was a woman along with her daughter in front of Nora. They were already at the counter. Nora could see a couple pairs of jeans, a skirt, a sweater and two blouses on the counter that appeared to be for the woman’s daughter.

“She is not going to be able to pay for that. Her credit card is going to be declined,” Nora’s mind informed her. Nora smirked to herself. “Pay for her things,” Nora’s mind went on to say. “Yeah right,” Nora thought back. “I’m sorry but this card is not going through. Do you have another one?” the sales woman asked the woman in front of Nora. The woman shook her head (indicating no). Her daughter looked up at her disappointed. The woman shrugged her shoulders, took her card out of the sales woman’s hand and left with her daughter tailing behind her with her head down. “Next,” said the sales woman, catching Nora off guard as she watched the mother and daughter walk away.

Nora headed to her car feeling down. She wandered how she guessed that woman’s credit card was going to be rejected. “It was just a fluke,” she told herself. Nora got into her car. She turned the key in the ignition but her car would not start. Nora tried several times but nothing would happen. Nora realized that her battery had gone dead. She hung her head low thinking, “What now?” A tap on the driver’s side of Nora’s car window made her jump and look up. “Are you okay?” asked the woman. “Oh no,” Nora thought. It was the woman whose credit card was declined. Her daughter stood slightly behind her peering at Nora. “My um…battery kind of went dead. I must have left my lights on,” she managed to say. Oh, no problem. Let me help you. My car is right there. The woman pointed to the car that was parked directly in front of Nora head on. The woman gave Nora a boost and got her running. Nora felt foolish, ashamed and guilty. “Here you go and thank you so much!” Nora said as she pulled out a fifty-dollar bill. “Oh no. I can’t accept that,” said the woman pushing Nora’s hand away. Nora thought the woman was crazy. “She can at least get her daughter a pair of jeans and a blouse,” Nora thought. But Miss, you didn’t have to help me. I know that. But I do what is in my heart. I don’t look to receive anything for doing what is right. My blessings are many.

When Nora got home she told her mother what had occurred. “Mother it had to have been a coincident,” Nora said shaking her head unbelievingly. Things like that just don’t happen. Nora, God has a way of getting your attention when he wants it. Your car ended up on a divider for you to wake up. God’s intention wasn’t to hurt you because he protected you. He spoke to you in the store to see if you were listening. He brought that woman to you to let you know that Jesus lives.

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