A Snowy Day with a
Happy Ending
Today school was canceled because of snow and icy roads. It sent me back to a similar day, probably 35 years ago. The roads were bad, but as always, God was good.
True story:
It was an unusual morning in Anniston, Alabama with steel gray clouds dumping inches of snow on top of icy roads. Getting to school wasn’t a problem because it was Sunday. I lived about three blocks from the church and I never missed church on Sunday. Hey, I’m an Ohio girl, so it always tickled me that everything in the South was canceled at the sight of the first dozen snowflakes. But church … they wouldn’t cancel church. Right?
So I bundled up my children and put them in the car. We half drove, half slid down the three blocks to the church and turned into the empty parking lot. Since I figured we wouldn’t make it back up the hill until the road crew came by, we went on in. Hmmm … lights were on. We weren’t alone after all!
The associate pastor, a friend of mine, Tony, was in the sanctuary, apparently the only other person who was willing to brave the weather. I let the children go to play in the nursery and went to talk to Tony. We chatted for a few minutes, even discussed going on home.
Then through the back doors we saw an eighteen-wheeler pull slowly into the parking lot. A few minutes later, the driver got out and entered the foyer. We stepped out to greet him, and a little self-consciously he said, “Hi. I’m Bill. It’s getting pretty bad out there. Could I wait it out in here for a while?”
“You sure can!” We introduced ourselves and talked for a while. Then I went to check on the children.
When I came back, the men were talking about Jesus. Tony was telling our new friend about how Jesus was our safe place in any storm. He asked Bill if he had ever asked Jesus into his heart. Bill said, “no,” then looked down at the floor.
“Would you like to? We’ll pray with you.”
Bill nodded his head and we prayed. Then Bill repeated the words after us: “Jesus, I’m a sinner. I believe you are Lord, and that you lived and died for me. I know you’re alive today and that you hear me now. Come into my heart and help me from this day on to live for you.”
Right there in the foyer of that nearly empty church, a truck driver met the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! A “new name was written down in glory!”
The children and I decided to walk home. Tony stayed with Bill until the road crew came through. And Jesus, I think He was smiling.
I never saw nor heard of Bill again, and as far as I know, neither did Tony, but I believe that a life was changed that snowy, Southern Sunday. I’m so glad Bill didn’t pull up to find a cold, empty church with locked doors!
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. For the scripture says, ‘No one who believes in Him will be put to shame’” (Romans 10:9-11).
God bless you and give you peace!
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