The Open Door

Janice and I were excited about having the chance to get out of town for a three-day mini vacation last week. We had talked about it and looked forward to it for a number of weeks. Once we got our stuff packed in the car, we started heading south down I-85.

We were traveling in the HOV lane at inside-Atlanta-Interstate-speed. Just below Spaghetti Junction (the I-285/I-85 interchange), I lost my accelerator. I felt it click under my foot, then nothing. It was like the thing came loose from the rod that controls acceleration. The accelerator pedal now lay limp against the floorboard.

I am in the far left lane with five lanes of traffic to my right. My car is decelerating, actually coasting, and the only shoulder is on the right-hand side of the highway.

As a pilot, I learned that speed is your friend, so without hesitation, I pulled out of the HOV and headed at a sharp angle for the shoulder. With moderately heavy traffic, all I can say is, God opened a pathway for me to get to the other side. There was only one guy who seemed to be out of the will of the Lord. He was driving an SUV and though he had to see that something was wrong, he kept barreling down on me at a high speed. I was able to get across his lane before he was able to hit me.

We made it safely to the right shoulder and coasted as far off the edge of the Interstate as we could, about three feet. Then we rolled to a stop. It was one of those memorable moments when you are finally able to take a deep breath and thank the Lord for protecting you.

As any man would do, I jumped out of the car, raised the hood, and looked into this massively complex system under the hood as though I had the foggiest idea what I was looking at. Surely, this would be a simple thing where I could see the problem, reconnect the accelerator rod to the pedal mechanism, and we would be on our way.

Okay, there was something there that I recognized. It was the dipstick, the one under the hood, not the one standing in front of the car. As far as I could tell, there would be no simple solution. At once, dollar signs began to pass before my eyes.

When I came to my senses, I realized that we were not particularly safe sitting in the car three feet off the Interstate. I have seen enough of those “police shows” on TV where some inattentive driver runs into the police car and the car he stopped on the shoulder of the road. I made a call to AAA for wrecker service, and Janice and I found a safer place to stand up the embankment a safe distance from the car and the highway.

While we were standing there like so many others that I have seen in my travels, I was thinking about how much this was going to cost me. Any of you ladies want to guess what Janice was thinking? Here’s what she said, “If I had known this was going to happen to us, I would have worn something that looked a little nicer. Do I look okay?”

Now, here is the thing that happened that amazed both of us and actually made us laugh after a while. We had not been there long, with our hood raised, before one of the “Hero” trucks came by. I thought, “This is great. What a wonderful system of helpers we have here in Atlanta.” Just then, he drove past at about 70 mph without so much as a glance in our direction.

Janice and I looked at each other and said, “Well, that didn’t work too well.” Then a couple of empty wreckers came by without stopping to see if they could help. Another “Hero” unit passed by. In all seven “Hero” units, and a dozen wreckers sped past and not one stopped to see if they could provide assistance.

Like any good pastor’s wife, Janice said, “There has got to be a good sermon illustration in this.”

I said, “There is. You and I represent lost people in Atlanta, and these ‘Hero’ units and wreckers represent Christians. Everyday we pass hundreds who are standing along the way, totally unable to help themselves. They need to be introduced to the Lord. We pass them by without so much as casting a glance in their direction. Who will stop and help them if we don’t?”

What we need in the church today are “Heroes” who will make it their responsibility to stop and help those lost and unchurched folks who live in every community in Georgia. Many of these people’s lives are in a wreck and they need a spiritual wrecker service to come along and tow them to safety in the Lord and His church.

I am convinced that we all need to be more aware of those who are standing along the way in our path every day. Where are the “Heroes” who will tell them of the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ?