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It was getting to the end of a long day and Lola wanted to dash to the town centre to get a few groceries. She had wanted to put a halt to all activities and just rest when she suddenly remembered she needed to buy necessities for Anne, her 8 year old daughter’s school lunch. James, her 13 year old was busy with school work and she had to take her baby Josh with her. It wasn’t a good idea to get the bus at that time so she jumped into her car, also known as ‘faithful’, hoping she would make the 10minute journey with no mechanical qualms.
Faithful had been ‘ever faithful’ to Lola and her family. It was a small-engined car designed to dash here and there but not overburdened. However, recently, it started spluttering having been used for over 6 years by Lola who was the 4th owner. Lola drove down quickly, got to the major traffic lights before the town centre and an extraordinary thing happened. ‘Faithful’s engine ceased and it became as dead as wet wood. Not a spark came from the engine and the hazard lights refused to function.
Lola shook with fear, it was one of those cold nights, her 6month old baby was sleeping peacefully in his car seat completely oblivious of what was happening of his mother’s cold fear. As she contemplated what to do with a mobile phone with 6% battery, she remembered prayer should come first no matter what. Only that morning she had read her one verse for the day and it was Mark 11:24. It was about prayer and faith. So she muttered a few incoherent words amidst the hooting of other angry drivers who had patiently lined up behind her. They had expected her to move when the light turned green but there she was talking to herself and peering at the baby in the rear of the car.
Suddenly, a light bulb moment occurred, as if the answers to the prayer came through, she remembered the she needed to send a message to the pair at home. She rummaged through her full handbag, grabbed the phone and was about to call before changing to a text so as to safe some power. It was a quick text to her 13year old – ‘car broke down again, might take longer to get home, battery almost dead, baby and me fine’. Lola began to feel sorry for herself. Why are things getting hard, in fact harder by the day. She had been on state benefit and that made her feel awful. She desperately wanted to get a job. She had strong values for work but she got caught in high child care cost and other complexities of life.
A loud knock interrupted her sorry thought. A man with auburn hair beckoned to her to wind down. He took one look at the baby and suddenly realised she was in a dire situation. He swung into control mode and asked Lola to steer the car while he pushed. Within 5 minutes, the car was safely parked in front of a shop. He invited Lola into the shop and introduced himself as the owner of the business. He called his personal automobile engineer and he appeared within the hour ready with quotes in hand. Lola declined the repair because she had no means of paying the automobile engineer. Lola vowed never to drive the car again. Not after such embarrassment and danger. The engineer mumbled some automobile jargon explaining what had gone wrong and that the car would have to be taken away. Lola agreed but was worried about payment for the repair and embarrassed to put the kind gentle man to the spot. The car was taken away and she took the bus home.
The next day she took her 8year old to school by bus. This meant waking up at 5 am to prepare for the day. It was a bumpy ride indeed. Baby never liked his buggy and to be woken up so early and taken out in the cold made him miserable and grumpy. A little whimper soon turned into a string of uncomfortable squeals and before long it became a full blown howl. The city bus was full to the brim as it was rush hour. Anne began to ask Lola a hundred questions a minute.’ Mum, he wants you to breast feed him! Mum, do you think baby Josh is scared of many people, Mum, are we there yet? Mum, are you upset too? I’m I going to get to school late?’ Lola was truly upset and didn’t know what to say. Everyone in the bus looked on waiting for answers to the many questions thrown at her. She wasn’t going to play the super-mum by attempting any answer. Instead, she slipped into her usual deep thought. If only she had a job, if only her mum was around to look after baby, if only this, if only that…
Suddenly, a husky voice bellowed in a rather carefree accent, ‘scuse me! Move your buggy so I can park mine!’ Lola jolted back to life. She almost dropped the bag she was holding. She trembled a little with anger and felt like responding with a good piece of her mind. Then the Holy Spirit tugged at her to hold her peace. She was reminded of the bible verse (Proverbs 15:1) that encourages a soft answer to such careless utterances. She bit her tongue and prayed for grace. She kept asking ‘can things get any worse today’? Why? It was 8am and the day was falling apart already.
Lola quickly moved her Buggy to a corner of the bus and she tended to Josh who had thrown his head back bawling with reckless abandon. The snarling mother pushed her stroller with two toddlers into the cleared space and took a look at Lola’s buggy. She went all pink and gooey when she saw baby Josh. She began to say kind and nice things to baby Josh. Lola watched in disbelief. Was it the same woman that snapped and growled a few moments ago? It was soon time for Lola to alight from the bus. The all gooey mother was now completely kind as she cleared her stroller away from any obstruction, so that Lola, Anne and baby could alight without any problem. The lady flashed a sweet smile to Lola. Lola smiled back. A gosh of cold air blew on her face as she alighted. Soon, baby Josh dozed off and they power-walked to Anne’s school and got in just in time.
As she returned home after the event for school runs, she breathed in deeply, and reassured herself saying ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’. She got home and laid baby down gently in his cot. She just wanted to have a warm drink and a little nap before the afternoon school run. She made a nice cup of hot chocolate and just as she sipped and reclined back in the chair, her mobile phone went rang. It was the automobile engineer; the car was damaged beyond repair. Lola’s heart sank within her. It was not good news as she was a typical busy mum with three children. She just wanted the man to get off the phone and leave her to lick her wounds. However he went on and on. At a point, he said Miss, are you there? Mr Geoffrey has paid for a golf automobile for you. Would you be able to pick it today please?
Lola could hardly believe her ears! Is this a miracle or what? An old rickety car yesterday, a completely new one today! Well, it was a miracle. God had used a complete stranger to provide for her. God surely cares about our big and little issues. He is our present help in times of trouble. God does not watch in delight when it seems we are losing it, as long as we stay in His will, focusing on Him always, He orchestrates events meant to frustrate us and turns them around to a blessed surprise.
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