The TMI Files. Jesus Works For The RACV.
A few weeks back, we were on our way home from church. We took a detour to drop one of the teenagers at his soccer practice.I stopped the car in a bus stop on a main road.
Switched off the engine.
Got out of the car and removed his bags from the boot.
Said seeya later and hopped back in the car.
Key in the ignition, turn and......
Almost nothing.
There was enough current to turn on the radio, but nothing else. The engine didn't turn over; didn't even spark.
At least it was a lovely day. (And one of the few where I had decided to leave the mobile at home lol).
We sat in the car for a bit, and I suggested that since Magilla had been learning in her Kids' Church session about how Jesus was our friend, why don't we pray and ask for some help.
So we did, then since God helps those who help themselves, we wandered up the road to a phone box.
I made a couple of calls, the RACV were onto the case, and it was just a matter of waiting for them to find us. (For the record, I'm not a member, and had no cash on me to pay for a call out).
Wandering back to the car, I was continually asked: "When is Jesus coming? When will he fix the car?"
My response was that Jesus doesn't necessarily work in ways we expect, but He'll help us soon.
After about 40 minutes, the bright yellow RACV van pulled up at our busstop, and a couple of blokes got out to assist. The one who pulled my steering column apart and pointed out to me that it was a missing screw in the ignition switch had dark hair and a beard. The hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and he looked just like the pictures of Jesus that Magilla was used to.
So while he was tinkering with the car, she was hanging in the window talking to him: "Hi, Jesus, are you fixing our car, Jesus, thank you, Jesus."
The fellow didn't respond to her, but just worked at fixing the miniscule problem with the car.
When it was fixed, he and his mate said their goodbyes, and we went our separate ways.
About a week later, we were in one of the local fish and chip shops when Magilla noticed a car in the park across the road with the hood up. Jesus was fixing that car, too. A bloke with a dark beard and ponytail was working on it!
Regarding RACV membership, there really is no excuse for me not to have it. My previous membership had lapsed after Magilla wrote off the Grey Rustbucket, and since we were without wheels for a couple of months, I didn't stress over it.
The marvellous thing is that the fellow who fixed the car arrived, fixed it and sent us on our way.
(disclaimer:the Godmother has premium membership and she called it in on hers, but I am still gobsmacked that there was no asking for id or payment or anything else. I just love the way that every time Magilla sees a tradie with dark hair and a beard he is automatically declared the Son of God!)
posted by Nilk @ 9:29 PM
8 Comments:
See, the Lord does work in mysterious ways...
A lovely story Nilk!
-- Nora
And of course you do know that it was Benjamin Franklin who said that "god helps those who helps themselves", it's not a biblical teaching!
He does indeed, Nora. :)
(Which reminds me - when I get the time to fix up my blogroll, I'll fix your dead link. sorry, my bad!)
I never knew that, Caz. I think Ben also mentioned that 'those who can, do. Those who can't, teach.'
EP - a delightful update to a good oldie.
No, did not know that Ben coined that one as well, and although there are times when I believe it applies, I've always have a bit of a quibble with the idea, on the basis that a good teacher is equally valuable, and perhaps more so, than those who can "do". This is true in application to many areas of life, eg, an excellent manager is highly valuable, even though that person may be quite useless at performing any of the jobs done by their staff, and so on. It's a neat & dismissive concept, but limited in application.
I think it's cute that Jesus is still a tradie though, and hasn't become a white collar worker. :-)
Correct as ever, Caz. :)
There are some amazing teachers out there who do teach as opposed to stand in front of a classroom of kids and do whatever it is they do these days.
Those teachers seem to be few and far between these days.
I've found great comfort in knowing that God helps those who can't help themselves. Of course it can take some trying, and then some more, to find out where the end is of having the ability to help oneself. For me, with a dead car, that has always been the phone call to the NRMA or whatever - or to my Dad while he was alive.
Good thing that Magilla never saw me as I was a couple of years ago - I was a bit of the way of Cousin It when my hair wasn't tied back :) I was also remember being asked by a woman on the Gold Coast if I was Jewish. She seemed upset that I wasn't (I knew I should have asked why - she might have had a hot-looking daughter and it wouldn't have mattered if I wasn't since the bloodline flows through the woman... :)
Maybe I should grow the beard back. Being clean shaven and having manners doesn't help you find a woman in this country, that's for sure! :P
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