Friday, April 11, 2008 at 9:09am
My five angels
Column: For His Glory
After a long day at work and an hour’s drive home, the last thing I needed was something to make the day longer. And yet there I was, stuck in a ditch off the exit ramp. The thud of my front right axle hitting the concrete sent the chill of a costly repair down my spine. The grinding of the axle as I tried to get myself out of the ditch screeched like nails on blackboard. No sense in fighting it — I was stuck. I put on my hazard blinkers and called my wife: “Honey, I am stuck.”
All I needed was to make a right turn and I would be one mile from home. I decided to sneak around the car in front that was waiting for the light. No big deal, I don’t have to bother the person in front of me — just “climb the little curve to the right and off to my apartment I go,” so I thought. The ditch was the one snag. As I climbed out of my car to assess the situation, I could see the expressions of sympathy on the drivers exiting the ramp. Surprisingly I felt no sense of embarrassment, nor was I mad at myself. And although I thought the repairs or the towing would be expensive, I rested in the fact that God has taken care of us throughout the years, this would be no different. The only thing is that God had another way in mind. In the form of five angels named David, Billy, Matt, Mariah and Jeremy.
In a few moments these five individuals converged on the scene out of nowhere, it seemed (actually they had assessed my situation from behind me). I had my eyes on the exit ramp and they parked at the Honda dealership found on the southwest parkway. Their approach was very caring; it almost seemed as if they were in the car with me and that my problem was their problem. Not once did I feel as if they thought I was a bonehead for getting my car in a ditch. They asked questions as to what I did; I in turn asked questions about who they were. I felt indebted to them for their kindness. My wife felt so comfortable in their presence when she arrived. The best I can describe it is by saying this world still has people who know how to express genuine love for someone in need. It’s like the story of the Good Samaritan found in the Bible — a story of complete strangers helping someone who was helpless.
Before I knew it, they had attached a tow to the front of my car and pulled me right out. Nothing extraordinary, a simple tow, but their friendliness will never be forgotten. It reminds me of a well-known Bible story. Jesus is talking of the acts of kindness of those who enter the kingdom of heaven, and it’s summed up in this verse.
"The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’” (Matthew 25:40)
Their act of kindness, which I will never forget, was actually, if we understand this verse, done to Jesus himself. Because as a sinner redeemed by grace, I am one of the “least of them,” and since their act of kindness was directed at me, they actually did it to Jesus. I believe that by faith.
Therefore, with the deepest sense of appreciation I say thank you to David, Billy, Matt, Mariah and Jeremy. May God bless you always, till we meet again.
— — —
Gio Marin is the pastor of the College Station and Waller Seventh-day Adventist Church in the state of Texas. He graduated in December 2007 with a master of divinity degree from Andrews Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, with a dual emphasis on systematic theology and church growth & evangelism. Send him an email at {email GioMarinColumn@aol.com}GioMarinColumn@aol.com{/email}. © Copyright 2008 by Gio Marin.
All I needed was to make a right turn and I would be one mile from home. I decided to sneak around the car in front that was waiting for the light. No big deal, I don’t have to bother the person in front of me — just “climb the little curve to the right and off to my apartment I go,” so I thought. The ditch was the one snag. As I climbed out of my car to assess the situation, I could see the expressions of sympathy on the drivers exiting the ramp. Surprisingly I felt no sense of embarrassment, nor was I mad at myself. And although I thought the repairs or the towing would be expensive, I rested in the fact that God has taken care of us throughout the years, this would be no different. The only thing is that God had another way in mind. In the form of five angels named David, Billy, Matt, Mariah and Jeremy.
In a few moments these five individuals converged on the scene out of nowhere, it seemed (actually they had assessed my situation from behind me). I had my eyes on the exit ramp and they parked at the Honda dealership found on the southwest parkway. Their approach was very caring; it almost seemed as if they were in the car with me and that my problem was their problem. Not once did I feel as if they thought I was a bonehead for getting my car in a ditch. They asked questions as to what I did; I in turn asked questions about who they were. I felt indebted to them for their kindness. My wife felt so comfortable in their presence when she arrived. The best I can describe it is by saying this world still has people who know how to express genuine love for someone in need. It’s like the story of the Good Samaritan found in the Bible — a story of complete strangers helping someone who was helpless.
Before I knew it, they had attached a tow to the front of my car and pulled me right out. Nothing extraordinary, a simple tow, but their friendliness will never be forgotten. It reminds me of a well-known Bible story. Jesus is talking of the acts of kindness of those who enter the kingdom of heaven, and it’s summed up in this verse.
"The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’” (Matthew 25:40)
Their act of kindness, which I will never forget, was actually, if we understand this verse, done to Jesus himself. Because as a sinner redeemed by grace, I am one of the “least of them,” and since their act of kindness was directed at me, they actually did it to Jesus. I believe that by faith.
Therefore, with the deepest sense of appreciation I say thank you to David, Billy, Matt, Mariah and Jeremy. May God bless you always, till we meet again.
— — —
Gio Marin is the pastor of the College Station and Waller Seventh-day Adventist Church in the state of Texas. He graduated in December 2007 with a master of divinity degree from Andrews Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, with a dual emphasis on systematic theology and church growth & evangelism. Send him an email at {email GioMarinColumn@aol.com}GioMarinColumn@aol.com{/email}. © Copyright 2008 by Gio Marin.