Sunday morning service in a used car parking lot…
While vacationing in Arkansas last November, I had the occasion to meet Brother Harold. He is the minister of a small church, and he owns a used car lot on a rural highway in the Ozark Mountains. The first thing I noticed, as we drove in the gates of his car lot, was the glowing, red, cross on the front of the building. It was wooden, about 4 feet high, and outlined with red lights. It could be seen from the roadway, especially on a dreary, overcast, morning. My family and I drove up at 10 am on that Sunday morning, fully expecting Brother Harold to be at church, delivering a sermon to his congregation, but he wasn’t …
Brother Harold told us that he had stayed home, and wasn’t going to preach at his own church that morning, because the Lord wanted him to talk to us. He started to tell us his story, as we all stood around him in the parking lot, listening. He explained how God had worked in his life, and how he had followed the Lord to this very parking lot, to spread His word. He asked us, “Do you know how many people have come to Jesus, pulling up in this parking lot? They come in looking for a car, and they leave with Jesus!” I was very intrigued by Brother Harold, as he shared more of his story, and reminded me of God’s simple goodness. He chuckled when he said, ”It’s not so hard to pray, it’s hard to hear His answers, especially when you don ‘t like them.”
He said that the world was his pulpit, “I go where I’m supposed to be, and I work for the Lord.” I listened as he further explained that “Life is not what we expect it to be, but it’s what it’s supposed to be.” I found myself looking into his deep and overflowing, blue eyes, as he spoke from his heart, to mine. How could he answer questions that I had never asked him? I felt like he knew I was desperate for answers, and knowledge of the meaning of this life, and the afterlife. Brother Harold smiled at me when he said, “I quit thinking that I’m finally going to know all the answers when I get to heaven, because when I get there, it won’t matter!” I thought about that for a moment. If that were true, how much of my life would I waste lamenting over something that won’t matter in the end? I was riveted to the sermon at this point. Brother Harold had stayed to have Sunday service in this parking lot, with me, and my family, and he was speaking directly to my wounded heart.
Brother Harold went on to say that God gives us many chances, every day, through our own personal choices, to do the right thing. “Sometimes you get it, and sometimes you don’t. Many things can get in the way of making good choices, or doing God’s will. Don’t look back when you miss it, keep moving forward, being wiser.” God can use us to get his message to others, if we listen with our heart, and act on what we hear. The hard part is acting on what we hear. Many times, we question, procrastinate, or ignore, the voice of God when He speaks to the silence of our heart. It’s easy to find excuses, or good reasons, to not reach outside of ourselves, when God asks us to. Brother Harold set the good example that morning, he listened to God, and he spoke the words that I needed to hear, without knowing who needed to hear them, or why they needed to be said. Brother Harold just spoke the words that came through his open heart, knowing that they would make a difference to someone. What a faithful, and obedient, servant!
His last bit of advice was a reminder, “Life is not about the peaks, it’s about the valleys.” I will always cherish his words, because they were spoken with love, and sincerity, and truth, on that cold morning. I remember looking up to heaven at the end of the impromptu service. The sky was swirling with dark gray clouds, but right over our heads was a neon sign that read, “IN GOD WE TRUST”. I took a picture of the sign, and the black clouds behind it. I love the message that I receive each time I look at it. I remember Brother Harold’s words of wisdom, and I am reminded to trust in God during the storm, because, just like the neon sign, against the dark clouds, he is always there, shining bright.
T.Rodney
12/30/10