As I promised, and at the subtle urging of my good friend and brother, Dave, I know share with you, "the story."
About a month ago, I was rushing around on a Friday afternoon, to pick up some freebies that my wife had found on Craigslist, that we were going to add to our items for a Mission fundraising Yard Sale. As I was driving, it was a beautiful, sunny day of about 82 degrees, and I saw this guy on a motorcycle come zipping by. Which caused me to think,"man, I wish I could be on my bike today." At which point I distinctly heard this voice say, "yeah, about that bike... I want you to sell it."
Woooah. What? No way! Really? Was that God? Satan why would you tell me to sell my bike?!? God you gave this to me, you couldn't possibly want me to sell it, could you? (these are all the thoughts that rolled in my head in the span of like 2 seconds)
And again, "I want you to sell the bike."
Now first, let me say, I fully believe that God speaks to people today. But at this moment, I was positive it was my lunch talking or the heat getting to me or something. But at the same time, oddly enough, I felt a peace about doing it. It was weird.
So I did what any God-fearing man would do, I tried to argue with God over why that was not such a good idea. Now at this point He was done talking. Especially quiet when I asked the question "why?"
Not wanting to do something that I wasn't entirely positive was God, I sent a request for prayer to a trusted group of friends, with a question similar to this, "Please ask God if it was Him speaking to me about something I feel I'm supposed to do." That was it. Not a whole lot of detail. Within a few hours I had heard from a large majority of the group, with variations of the same answer: "Yes it was God."
Naturally, I resigned myself to submit to the will of God, all the while clinging to a hope of an 'Abraham and Issac moment', which never came.
I put my bike up for sale, and lo and behold the battery is dead. So I have to invest in a new battery, which by the way was the second most expensive battery at the store. The bike is up for sale now God, send the buyer!
Jump now to the week before my vacation, the week of June 13. I have had at this point a grand total of '0' interested buyers. Oh sure, I've had my share of Craigslist whacko's, but nothing worth getting excited about.
But now, not only is this becoming a sore subject between God and I, (don't judge me, just try looking at something every day that God tells you to sell, and still seeing it, taunting you) our personal financial situation is becoming grim. (I didn't have this particular issue when God started this whole thing) and our vacation is 3 or 4 days off and I have not a dime for a weeks worth of much needed rest.
But wait, I now have a potential buyer! He is excited about the bike, willing to pay the asking price, if I can meet him halfway between where I am and where he is. He'll call me Wednesday at 11 am to arrange a meet time. Ten or fifteen exchanges up to this point, and then Wednesday morning, nothing. No answer, no return call, text or email. Nothing. And nothing equals no buyer. At this point I'm thinking 'what is the cash value of this thing on an insurance claim?', not really, but you get my position.
Late Wednesday night, i hear from an acquaintance who might be interested. And at the same time, hear back from one of the original 'flakes' that contacted me, she is interested. So now I have two people set to look at it Thursday night. (I'm leaving on Friday) Thursday night the 'flake' has to cancel, and the acquaintance shows up and likes it, but they (understandably) want to pray about it, and they'll let me know Friday morning. i tell them that the 'flake' says they are coming down Friday at 8 am, so if she backs out, or declines, I would let them know.
Jump to Friday at 8 am. Franny and I wake up early to head down to the church to be there at 8. Now I'm not generally an impatient fellow, usually pretty laid back. But after having read this far, I hope you can understand why at 8:01 I'm calling this lady. She says 'didn't you get my text and email?' I said, I got nothing from you since our conversation yesterday. She said she had to work a little over and was tired and on her way home, but now she felt 'guilty' and would turn around and come see the bike. Deep breath and sigh. Ok. At least I've got someone coming.
She gets there about 10 minutes later, and she's not a flake. She is a single lady who is a E/R nurse at one of the college medical centers. She is a former Sheriff from the same area I grew up in. She is a former truck driver, and EMT. Now she has moved out here from Idaho I think because, wait for it, wait for it, she felt God telling her to come to San Diego to live with her sister to save as much money as she can to, again, wait for it, but a home to use as a halfway house type of thing for a woman's recovery home. What? Can it be?
Then she goes on to say that she used to ride, and quit when her niece was killed in a bike accident. But that she eventually felt God say that she needed to ride again. So she did, and she had a really small bike. But she said about, wait for it, 3 weeks earlier, she felt like God was releasing her to buy a bigger and newer bike. What? Are you serious????
She asked why I was selling it, and so I told her the reasons, and she says, well that's good that God told you to sell it and you were obedient. Because He's telling me I need to buy it. What?? (seriously folks, on the inside, I'm doing a little Pentecostal shuffle, but on the outside I'm reserved) Done deal.
Buuuuuut, she didn't have any cash, would I take a check? Well long story short, it was drawn on our bank, and the teller says, oh yeah, it's good, she has way more than that available.
You remember over the past few weeks how I kept clinging to the fact that God shows up just in time, often at the last minute? Yeah, well, one more time, He has not failed me.
We were able to take that vacation, and have a better time than I would have even imagined. We took care of all of our financial obligations, and took great pleasure in the way that God chose to smile on us for that time.
Long story short, it seems evident to both Franny and I, that the reason for the sell was not so much that the bike had usurped God's place in my life, or for our financial issues (God has seriously pulled the coin out of a fish for us on many occasions) but rather it was because He wanted my obedience to do what He asked, not so much for me, but more for the 'flake'. She needed that.
Oh and by the way, the 'flake' has a name. It's Tracy P. Pray for her, and her soon to be set up woman's recovery home in Prescott, AZ.
Thanks for reading.
