When all our best laid plans go awry, I never cease to be surprised by kindness scattered along the way.
Earlier this summer, Tim and I promised to help my daughter and her husband move to the farm we purchased in the mountains of Tennessee. The plan was for them to live there while looking for a home to buy for themselves nearby. Since we’re not leaving Indiana until I completely retire in two years, this seemed like a perfect solution to help them as well as give us someone to take care of the place.
However, obstacle after obstacle blocked our way. First, the box truck we planned to use for the move developed mechanical issues. Our next alternative was an open trailer, but it had a flat tire that needed repair. Once Tim fixed it, we loaded their furniture and strapped it down for the trip northward. With high hopes, we took off up the mountainside.
The road from western North Carolina to our farm in Tennessee is a long, steep climb. It’s challenging even without a heavy load. As we neared the top, I felt like the train in The Little Engine That Could. “I think I can…I think I can.” But no. With a whine and a puff of black smoke, we coasted into a truck rest stop off the edge of the highway just shy of the peak. Our engine overheated with seven miles to go. Ugh!
The whole ordeal strained my resolve and swept away my patience. I cried to the open sky. “Is this a test, Lord, or an attack of spiritual warfare? If this is a test, I’m failing miserably. Please, help us!”
At that moment, reinforcements arrived. A truck pulling a trailer full of motorcycles rolled up beside us. Then two men and a woman piled out and walked over to our steaming vehicle, offering us help. They were traveling back from a vacation on the coast and saw our dilemma.
As fortune would have it, one of the guys was a diesel mechanic. With a little of his expertise and tools, the radiator hose was put back in place and we sent my son-in-law to pick up some anti-freeze at a nearby Wal-Mart.
God answered my prayer with overflowing abundance. Before my son-in-law returned, two other semi-truck drivers stopped and offered us anti-freeze to fill our radiator. Instantaneously, we received more help than we needed.
When all our best laid plans go awry, I never cease to be surprised by kindness scattered along the way. It’s a healing balm for my soul. If I pay attention, I find blessings interspersed within our trials every time. Often, these bright spots occur in the most unexpected places like this mountaintop highway.
Here people chose to stop and help us in our time of need even as the rest of the world reels with anger and division. Would I do the same? Through this experience, God showed me that kindness remains though hatred and fear attempt to squelch it. Every caring deed pushes against this darkness. So, don’t hold back. Choose to make someone in your world surprised by kindness today.
Kindness enriches our life; with kindness mysterious things become clear, difficult things become easy and dull things become cheerful.
Leo Tolstoy, writer
*featured photo by my daughter Anna
