Doing God's Work

There's an old saying..."Actions speak louder than words."

That rings true in many different situations, especially when it comes to the spreading of God's Word. You can tell someone to love one another over and over, but the message sticks much better if you show someone unconditional love through your actions.

That's exactly what happened on Wednesday afternoon, May 10, on a rural highway outside Crockett, Texas.

Please...Not Now!

My wife and daughter were traveling to Austin for the UIL State Track & Field Meet. My daughter was set to compete the following day in the 800-meter run for Class 4A. They were about 5 miles west of Crockett on Highway 7 when my wife heard the thudding sound of a flat tire.

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She called me with the bad news and I told her I would leave Lufkin immediately with the jack and other tools to change out the tire. It was going to be the better part of an hour before I got to her, so she also decided to look up tire shops in the Crockett area.

Mike's To The Rescue

Urgent situation or not, my wife insists on looking at online business reviews before making decisions. There was a place called Mike's Tire Shop that didn't have a website or a Facebook Page, but they had excellent reviews, so she called Mike's.

Within 45 minutes, two folks from Mike's Tire Shop arrived, changed out the tire with the full-sized spare, and had my wife and daughter back on the road again. The response time and overall repair time were over the top...but, that's just the beginning of the story.

A Beautiful Gesture

While the tire was being changed, my wife and daughter struck up a conversation with Mike (I'm assuming it was Mike, if not, let me apologize in advance). They told him about the upcoming State Meet in Austin, and how they appreciated him coming to their rescue.

When all was fixed and the car was ready to go, my wife asked what the charge would be. He told my wife it would be NO CHARGE.

My wife insisted on paying something, but 'Mike' said it was a good luck gesture and blessing towards my daughter for her upcoming performance at the State Meet. 😢😢

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But Wait...There's More

The next day, on my way to Austin, I stopped by Mike's Tire Shop to pick up the flat tire. My wife explained to Mike that we had a warranty for that tire at a store in Lufkin. Since she didn't have room in her car for the flat tire, Mike said he would keep it at his store and I could pick it up on my way through Crockett.

When I arrived at Mike's, I shook his hand and told him how much I appreciated him coming to my family's rescue. Then, he told me that he decided to take a look at the flat, and he was able to patch it up and repair it.

I asked what the charge would be...once again, he said NO CHARGE.

Maybe I shouldn't have, but I told him I had to do something for him for such a wonderful blessing, so I pushed some cash into his hand.

Looking Back

Every day, bad things happen in our lives. There are two different ways we can react.

  1. We can make the situation worse by panicking, cursing, feeling self-pity, going ballistic, or the multitude of other negative reactions endorsed by the devil, or...
  2. We can have faith in God and let Him show us the good things that can come from this challenge.

We had an astounding weekend - my daughter got the bronze medal in her event, we made some memories that we will cherish forever, and got introduced to the folks from Mike's Tire Shop in Crockett --- they rescued my family and displayed God's love through their actions.

It reminds me of another saying, actually from a movie -- 'So shines a good deed, in a weary world'

 

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