Changing a Tire Can Change a Life
I stopped to help a lady with a flat tire on the Paces Ferry exit off I-285 last month. I was headed west to my home and had just turned on my GPS. When it directed me to gett off at that exit, I thought it odd, as it hardly ever takes me off there.
The lady was by herself in the right lane in an older blue BMW. The Holy Spirit must surely have been present to keep the lanes open because as I was coming to a stop in the center lane, there was plenty of room for me to get in the right lane to pull over and help her. As I was preparing to help her, the story Jesus told of the Good Samaritan flashed into my little brain, and I was reminded that he not only helped a wounded stranger but even paid for a hotel for the man to stay in until he got better. I quickly realized I was not only supposed to help her change the tire, but I should go ahead and buy her a new one as she had no spare.
Roadside assistance came and helped us get the lug nuts off because (I’m embarrassed to say) I couldn’t budge them. I surmised afterward that the rim had gotten so hot that no human could muscle them off by hand. After removing the lug nuts, the guy from roadside assistance said we were on our own and left us there. Not much of the tire was left except one small remnant that would at least give us the tire size; it was pretty much nothing but rim which we took to the closest tire store in Smyrna.
She told me her name is April, and she lives with her mom in Winston, Georgia. Divorced, mother of three, sweet Christian, and a hot mess. She had just been evicted from her apartment, and it looked as if she had everything that she owned in her car. She told me about a fire that burned down her house as her kids watched, and they lost everything. After her divorce, she knew it was best to she give her kids up to her ex-husband. We prayed together and spent the next three hours talking about God and life.
I had asked her earlier if she had enough money to pay for the tire. She pulled up her bank account which had $324 in it. After learning her story, I felt blessed to be able to pay for the tire for her. We got the new tire on and I gave her my contact card, telling her to call me if she needed more help. I got in my car and went back to my day, but as I pulled away, a voice distinctly whispered to me that I was doing the right thing and to keep up the good work.
God is working on me, friends, so I smile.