First, that God is a God of purposes! I am sure many of you can relate to a situation in which something bad happened but you could clearly see the hand of God throughout it?
Most recently, that happened this past weekend in the car crash Kevin & I had. I was turning left and a micro-bus (a.k.a. 15 passenger van) was passing in a no-passing zone. I barely had time to react and the van blindsided the driver-side front door:
We were frustrated, and for the first time I experienced how much the police & judicial systems here are controlled by fear and bribery. Death threats and extortion are very unfortunate realities even today, especially in the rural areas like Jutiapa where we were traveling. In the end, the driver, who was a worker (not the owner) of the van, admitted that there was no way he could pay the damages on either much less both vehicles. And since the police were unwilling to assign 'fault' to someone, the van's insurance will have nothing to do with the situation. (Plus we haven't had time to take out the insurance for our car yet, either, we just exchanged for it last week!) So we chose the high road, and will be covering the damages. It was a time when the Lord was clearly leading us to 'show mercy' and not be overly insistence on 'justice'. I came to realize how truly difficult it can be to "act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God" (Micah 6.8) all at the same time! I don't know about you, but I find it much harder to 'love mercy' and 'walk humbly' than the whole justice part.
Since then, we have successfully found all the parts necessary and a mechanic who will be repairing the damages. We have been praying for the driver, as he will still be paying the damages to the van as they were also significant. He was without work and had a false license, so before he starts paying off the van he will probably spend some time in jail.
I share this experience with you because I have learned a lesson in provision. Had we been driving our older car, we would have probably suffered a lot more damage from the crash. Because of the car model, it have a galvanized steel bar inside of the door. Upon impact, the door was crunched in until it hit the steel, which was slightly bent, but nothing further. Luckily (or providentially?!) I only suffered a few scratches. Now, every time I open my (new!) door, I will be reminded of the way God protected and continues to protect me in a country where the levels of crime and violence are rising each month. It's like he's sealed our car with his promise, although the lesson came at a price.
Secondly, I wanted to share about another encounter we had while driving our crunched car back to the capital. We stopped to buy pizza for lunch, and before we had reached the sidewalk outside the parking lot we were greeted by a woman asking for money. I personally try give money only to elderly and handicapped children who are begging on the street, but avoid giving to those that are able-bodied. I would prefer to see them seek out work, even if it starts simple. And this woman seemed to fit into the able-bodied category.
However, this woman was very persistent. We gave some coins to a child that was with her, and he disappeared, while she continued to ask. Apparently the boy wasn't her son. I bought a few slices of pizza, rather annoyed and feeling tricked, and headed back to the car. It wasn't until the following day that Kevin & I returned to discuss the matter. He had a very good point when saying we bought 2 portions of pizza, and weren't even willing to spare her some change... It was at that point that I felt bad. Not so much for the situation, I am sure on the public corner she was located that others were generous to her. However it hit me: how am I doing on the generosity meter?
There is a lesson God has been trying to teach me. It's that which is also illustrated by the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand. A little boy offers up his five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus, with this small offering, provides food to 5,000 people, with 12 baskets of leftover bread for the disciples to pick up. Do you think they understood the lesson? With God, little means much. And the abundance begins with offering the 'little' that we have.
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