Seeing God in the Ordinary

“Stop! Stop!” I yelled to my daughter, who let off the gas. Exhausted, Mike and I stood up. Stepping carefully through the muck, we walked up the slight incline to the front of the car, to figure out what our next step would be.

We were in a wooded area, accessed by a rutted road. As the driver, I had left the road to turn around, not realizing that the ground in the area I picked for the maneuver had thawed during these extraordinary warm winter days. I realized what a terrible mistake I had made when the car was facing up the slight incline, and I couldn’t get it to move forward in the soft earth.

We had been trying, unsuccessfully, for about 30 minutes to get the car out. No luck.

“You two stay here. I’m going to see if anyone is home in that house up ahead.” I slipped as I moved along the car, adding more grime to my jeans. My white sneakers were now caked with mud, coat splattered. Mike was just as filthy. I was really annoyed at myself for getting us into this literal mess. I headed toward the house, praying that someone would be home to help us, because it was the only house that I could see.

“Lord, I need some help here” I said, knowing that only two of us pushing couldn’t get the car out. I reached the house. No one was home.

When I returned to the car, we tried a few more things, no success. The sun was getting lower in the sky. Kathy handed me my cell phone to call a tow truck.

As I was getting ready to make the call, Mike heard some voices and scanned the area. He spotted three young men in the distance, walking through the woods, and called to them for help. They turned from their path and headed toward us.  

“Wow!”  they said, as they reached the car and surveyed the mess we were in. They agreed to help. Mike gave each one of us a place to be around the car. The five of us stepped into the now ankle-deep mud, braced ourselves, and then Kathy gently pressed the accelerator. 

Slowly, centimeter by centimeter, the car moved forward as we cheered encouragement to each other to continue pushing.  Kathy got the car to solid ground, and then put it in park. We gratefully thanked the young men as they headed back to continue their hike, stomping mud off their sneakers and jeans as they walked. 

God was in those three young people, who stopped to help strangers in a messy situation. I had asked Him for help, putting my own expectations about where it should come from. Yet God provided us with what we needed; we just had to keep looking. 

© Diane L. Neuls DeBlasio 2011