It’s Okay If You Don’t Believe
Today I have a story to share with you that will give some of you goose bumps and will cause others to roll your eyes. And that’s okay. But, it’s a story worth sharing because so many of God’s faithful will be encouraged to watch for the miraculous that happens more frequently than you might expect.
My teenage daughter will be 15 in June. Recently during the high school, Spring Break, she grew up a little more. She released her emotional tie to her Barbie dolls, Polly Pockets and all manner of little girl play clothes. We packed up the spare bedroom and donated a mountain of toys and girly stuff to friends from church and our local shelter. I’m still trying to find a proper home for the boxes of books setting by the front door.
My daughter determined the extra room, the “Play Room” will now become a teenage-girl, hang out. What is that you ask? I’m not sure only that it is developing as I write this post and it is crazy. Purple boxes painted on the walls is only one of the drastic changes taking place. I’m choosing to ignore the purple paint drips that are now a permanent addition to the brown carpeting in that room. Ugh.
I have to hand it to the kid. She did much of the work. She taped the room prior to painting, roller-painted the walls, and handled the removing of the socket covers. The kid is motivated. Perhaps she has a future boyfriend in mind who might hang out in there…. Hmmmm, “I think not,” says Mom.
Well here is where this story becomes so much more than redecorating.
My daughter wanted contemporary furniture in this new hangout. Since there isn’t a store specific to this in our town, I suggested we drive to San Diego and visit an IKEA store, which is an hour away in good flowing traffic, sixty miles, at a minimum. We set out on the Interstate late on a Saturday afternoon. We arrived and toured the entire massive warehouse, which was crowded with shoppers. We discover a fun and interesting looking bookcase and purchase it on the spot.
We haul the large, six-foot long box out to my car. Yep, it’s too tall to fit in the trunk and won’t even fit in the back seat. Yes, call me hare-brained. Why did I bring my little car? Well, you can bet I’m not going to return the darn thing and drive back down with the Explorer to purchase it again. So, I shove it in the back seat and leave it hanging about a foot out of the rear driver’s side window. Yep, I’m very aware that we have an hours’ drive back to our town. Yep, I am acutely aware it’s freezing outside and the drive entails cold air blasting us for an hour.
But, never under estimate the determination of a 5’4” blonde to overcome a mere six-foot tall bookcase. YEP!
My daughter and I get in the car and I mention, “Okay Lord, keep your two girls warm on the way home.”
We pull out onto the freeway after leaving the McDonald’s drive thru. Caitie mentions the time and I look down at the clock. It’s cold but we blast the heater and we start chatting about everything and nothing. I’m driving at the posted speed limit, as I don’t want to attract Mr. Highway Patrolman who might be perturbed at the large box hanging from the window.
We drive and chat. The cold air blasts the heater is running. THEN.
I round a corner of the freeway and do a double take. Literally, I jumped and drew in a sharp breath.
“Mom, what’s wrong.”
“Caitie, we are in Escondido. I just drove by the North County Mall. That’s half way home for us. It can’t be. We have only been on the road for 15 minutes.
Let me be very plain here. It’s impossible to travel 30 miles in 15 minutes on a California Freeway. I would have to be traveling at around 120 miles an hour. I wasn’t. I know for a fact I was traveling around 75 mph. Remember I was cautious about Mr. Highway Patrol.
“Mom, I looked at the clock. You aren’t mistaken. We left at 6:26. It’s now 6:41.”
Let me tell you that I don’t know what happened. Our car didn’t levitate. I don’t remember anything unusual about drive except this; I cannot recall passing all the normal landmarks along the freeway I usually notice, such as Rancho Bernardo, one of the towns in route. I don’t remember the 163 freeway merging into ours.
We just arrived.
I said to my daughter, “This can’t be. Let me be sure I’m not mistaken about seeing the mall. Around the bend on this segment of the freeway will be the rest of Escondido.” (You see, I couldn’t believe what just happened either) Sure enough, we were in Escondido.
We traveled the rest of the way home paying extreme close attention to all the landmarks and it took us an additional 27 minutes to arrive home. I looked at the clock as I walked through the door. Total travel time 42 minutes. And we weren’t cold. Not one little bit.
Does God love his two hare-brained girls so much He rushed our road trip just so we wouldn’t be cold?
I might have dismissed this entire encounter as a flaw in my memory but I can’t because my daughter confirms all of it. She looked at the clock.
To this day, I can’t explain to you what happened on that freeway. But, what I know to be true is that in an instant we were somewhere different than where we should have been and it was all because our Lord wanted to keep His two girls warm.
We serve a God who lives in the Supernatural. He is Supernatural. He is a God of miracles, even miracles like keeping two of His girls warm.
It’s okay if this story is too much to believe. I told my husband about it and he said, “You’re mistaken.”
But, for me and a 14 year-old-girl. We were there and we know God can do anything. Have a blessed day and keep watch for the miraculous. It truly happens all around us if we just learn to see it. BIG hugs, Lynn
Find me daily at
Thanks for sharing this powerful post.
Believing and rejoicing with you.
Lynn,
I’m here to tell you that I believe. I believe because the same God we both trust and love so much gave me, and my husband, miracles last Summer. It’s changed our lives.
I never underestimate an all powerful loving GOD. Anything is possible with Him. No Doubt!
Praise the LORD! Amen!
Powerful post!
Praying and believing with you,
andrea
What a neat experience
Gotta love that! We have a mighty God =)
I believe! I heard two guys recently tell a similar story, and I have heard of people driving on empty gas tanks until they were safely home. God loves us SO much, just because He can!
I believe… our God can anything!
Yours is the second “miracle story” I’ve had told to me in the past couple of weeks. How I love to hear them. Oh yes, I believe. “Nothing is too difficult for Him.”
What a great testimony. Love this Lynn.
I believe our God can do anything. My daughter and I were traveling. As we came over a hill we saw in the middle of the road a deer laying down. We did not have time to stop, I brassed myself. When we went over it nothing happened. My daughter slowed down, and I looked back and said, “Wasn’t that a deer? But could not see anything. As I looked foward, a huge buck was running across the road. If we would not have slowed down we would have hit it going 65 miles an hour. God is an awesome God, that does take care of his children.
I believe, Lynn! Similarly, I was driving to a friend’s house in an ice storm one year (ok, stupid enough, I know). On the exit ramp, which crossed over the main highway, my little truck spun out. There were other cars involved and I do not recall all of the details. However, I distinctly remember my truck hitting the jersey wall between the ramp and the highway below. I naturally stopped. Another driver came up to me and frantically asked me if I was ok. Confused, I said I was and asked him why. He looked at me dumfounded and said, “because I hit you.” I said that he had not hit me, yet he insisted that he had. He kpet insisting that he had hit me, yet there was no damage to me or my truck. Another gentleman had stopped and he hurried me away from the scene. Other cars had begun to skid and were crashing into each other. Since I was not injured, there was no damage to my vehicle and I did not hit anyone else, I listened and left. Though it may not have been legally correct to leave the scene, I believe that God had sent an angel to me that night. He had protected me, my truck and the other man & his vehicle. Our God is an awesome God and does amazing things!
Simply amazing Lynn!
Only our God …
Goose. Bumps.
He is the author of time! He can bend it, stop it, speed it up if He wants! What a great story. He cares about every detail.
How neat that He cut-down your time of travel. Yes, we just have to stop and look – the miracles are still there. The sad part is that we don’t stop and look. I am glad that you shared this story with us.