WHERE WAS THE TV GOING?

Almost every morning on my way to work, I see the same little gray car headed East as I drive West. I guess I see a lot of the same cars every day, but I don’t really pay that much attention to them. Most cars these days look so similar that not many stand out. I probably notice the little gray Chevette because it’s an older, unique, car, and I had one exactly like it when I was younger, but this story is not about either of those cars. Let me explain.

Early, one Autumn morning, I was driving to work as usual. I was in the right Westbound lane, listening to the radio, minding my own business when a car slowly started to pass me in the left Westbound lane. I don’t even know what kind of car it was, now that I think about it. I think it was gray, but I’m not even sure about that. Something else grabbed my attention and that’s all I could focus on at the time. As the car advanced from beside me, I looked over as it slowly passed by. As I looked at the car, I noticed there was a big wide-screen TV box in the back seat.

As the car slowly faded from my sight, I began to wonder about a few things. Where were they going? Where were they coming from? Was the TV, brand new? Were they taking it home to set it up or were they returning it to the store where they purchased it? Were they taking it to be repaired? Was there even a TV in the box? Was it just an empty box they were using for something else? The questions seemed endless.

I thought this lingering interest in the TV box was a little strange myself, and you may think I’m a complete nut, but I kept thinking about it and drew some interesting parallels and conclusions.

We all see people every day headed down the road of life. We usually have no idea where they’re going nor where they’ll end up. Most of us probably don’t think twice about them unless they affect us somehow. We don’t know how rocky the road they’re on really is. We don’t even know which road they’re on; the narrow road that leads to heaven or the wide road that leads to hell. Some would say that’s nobody’s business, but if we’re Christians, we have a responsibility to them, and to God, to reach out to them and make sure they know that there’s a heaven to gain, and a hell to shun. Many unsaved people have no idea that by not choosing Jesus, they’re choosing Satan by default. Jesus said, “Whoever is not with me is against me” (Matthew 12:30). There’s no middle ground.

So, take an interest in people; where they go, and what they do. What’s going on in their lives and in their families? Not to judge them, or gossip about them, but to know what their situation is. To understand what their immediate, personal needs are, and how we can help them; Be kind. Be a friend. Then you’ll know what, and how to be praying for them. You’ll find out their immediate situation, and their spiritual condition. Are they saved? Do they have a relationship with Jesus or are they bound for hell fire? Again, not to judge or gossip, but to help them.

Prayer is the most important thing you can do for anybody, but don’t stop there. Have you ever heard the phrase, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care?” That’s an interesting statement, and it’s certainly true. Many people think they have everything figured out. They think that knowing and believing that “there IS a God” is the same as “knowing God”, but that’s not the case at all. We get to know God by reading his word and communicating with him through prayer.

Many people miss what Jesus told Nicodemus that night so long ago. He said, “Everyone must be born again” (John 3:3-7). Referring to this, Paul said we are changed, and become a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17). We’re recreated or “born again.” When we’re born again, our past sins are forgiven, and the Holy Spirit comes to live in our minds to lead and guide us and change us. That’s what we all need. It’s what we must all have if we want that eternal life to spend with Jesus. If you don’t have eternal life yet, please, turn to Jesus today and be saved. He’s eagerly waiting to give you the peace and comfort of salvation.

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SEDUCTION AND REDEMPTION

When I was a young man, I went to a party one night where everyone was drinking, including me. There was an older woman there who was probably twice my age. She kept making passes at me. I tried to let her know I wasn’t interested without hurting her feelings, but she didn’t give up. She actually became more insistent as the night went on. She was so determined that I decided I had to get out of there. Even though I was drunk, and knew I shouldn’t be driving, I got in my car and started home, which was about 25 miles away.

About a mile from the party, there was a 45-degree curve. I remember waking up as the car went off the road in the curve. I remember struggling to get back on the road, and that was the last thing I remembered until I woke up in my own bed the next morning.

God protected me and brought me home when I was not able to do it myself, even when I was in total rebellion against him. I was a poor, wretched, miserable sinner, but God had plans for my life. He has protected me from tragedy many times, and I’m so thankful I didn’t die when I was living a life of sin. I know I would have died that night if God hadn’t protected me.

He protects us many times when we’re not aware of his presence. Contrary to popular belief, he even protects people who are not saved, and who have no intention of living for him. Jesus wants us to accept his free gift of salvation before we die. He loves us, no matter who we are, or what we’ve done. He doesn’t want anyone to be lost, so he gives us every opportunity that he possibly can for us to be saved. He came and lived on earth, and died to free us from sin.

God showed us how much he loves us by sending Jesus to die for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). Jesus showed his great love for us by giving his life on the cross. Colossians 1:21 says we’re actually his enemies before we’re born again, but he loves his enemies just as he commands us to love ours (Matthew 5:44). So remember that the next time someone hurts you. Jesus said we are to pray for them and treat them with kindness.

Also remember to never, ever drink and drive. It’s too dangerous. You not only put your own life in danger but the lives of everyone else on the road. It’s best not to drink alcohol at all. We need a clear mind to make good decisions, and the Bible says drunkards will not go to heaven (1 Corinthians 6:10). Read WHAT’S WRONG WITH DRINKING ALCOHOL to see what the Bible says about it.

We all need to commit ourselves to God, accept his free gift of salvation, and be born again. We also need to avoid situations where Satan and his demons can have easier access to us; like parties, nightclubs, and places where drugs or alcohol are present. We can have plenty of fun without all that stuff.

What’s Wrong With Drinking Alcohol?
https://teddylynn.blogspot.com/2015/07/wine-and-strong-drink-what-does-bible.html

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ONE TREE, TWO COUSINS, AND FOUR FLAT TIRES

It was Halloween and I was 19 years old. I had just recently come to my senses and was off drugs and alcohol. I was trying to rebuild my life and become a better person. I had a good job and a dependable car and I was into having good, clean fun. I thought it might be fun to go Trick-or-Treating. The last time I had gone was a few years earlier when I made my own Freddy Kruger costume. It wasn’t bad if I do say so myself, and I had gotten some good compliments about it.

I felt like I was too old to go Trick-or-Treating, though. I went to my cousin, Tim’s house to see if he wanted to go. I could drive him around from house to house in exchange for a percentage of his treats and we could hang out like we did when we were younger. He’s only a couple of years younger than me so he thought he was too old, as well. He said we should go get my younger cousin Thomas who had recently gone with us on a camp-out and offer him the same deal. That sounded good to me, so that’s what we did.

I got a big, brown paper grocery bag and rolled the top down about halfway, and sat it in the front seat between me and Tim. Each time Thomas came back from a house we would empty his bag into the big one and soon we had several pounds of candy and a few rocks.

After we had hit several neighborhoods in his community, we headed up the main highway toward mine. All of a sudden, I saw blue lights behind me. I stopped and rolled my window down and waited for the officer to walk up. He said someone had been setting fires all along the side of the roads in the neighborhood and wanted to know if we knew anything about it. I told him we didn’t know who was doing it, but I had stopped to put one out earlier, before sunset. I was hoping we could be on our way after that but then he said, “Y’all been drankin?” When I said, “No Sir,” he said, “What’s in the bag?” I said “Candy” as I tilted the bag up for him to look into. A big smile came across his face as he chuckled. Then he told us to be careful and he walked back to his car.

We went to a few more houses, then decided to call it a night. We were on the way to take Thomas home when we came to a place where my aunt Lola Mae lived years ago. The house was gone but the big oak tree and the circle drive were still there. Just as we came to the drive, Thomas said, “Drive around that tree.” I wasn’t going that fast so I turned and drove around the tree. Just then, I felt something bump the bottom of my car, first at the front and then at the back. I had driven over something. I continued back onto the road and to my sister’s house just a short distance ahead. When I got out to see if there was any damage, all four tires on the car were flat.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to hit Thomas for telling me to drive around that tree. He assured me that he didn’t know that would happen. I halfway believed him, but nothing I could do to him would fix my tires. I had to wait until the next day to get back on the road.

We can learn a lesson from this experience. Those of us who are on this road to heaven need to stay focused and never take a detour. Sometimes though, we do veer off the road and something similar to this happens. We’re sidelined for a while. Sometimes for a long while. The key is to never leave the road, but if we do, for some reason, we need to get back on the road as soon as possible with renewed determination to never be misled again.

By the way, I haven’t celebrated Halloween in the last twenty-two years and I never took my kids Trick-or-Treating because I discovered that it’s Satan’s holiday, and it’s not something that God’s people should celebrate. Click on the link below for a great Bible-based video that explains the evils of Halloween. Thanks for reading my blog, and thank you, Tim and Thomas, for that night and the great memories.

Ghosts and Spooky Spirits

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LEARNING LESSONS FROM A FORD

I've told you about my first, second, and fourth cars. There’s not much to tell about my third one but I’ll share what I remember with you anyway. I was between jobs at the time and didn't have much money, so I was excited when my uncle told me I could get a car for fifty dollars. Fifty dollars! Wow! That may seem like a very small amount of money now but back then you could get a good used car from an individual between three hundred and five hundred dollars.

This car didn’t run, of course, but my uncle worked on cars all the time and he said he would get it running for me. The man who owned the car said he didn’t really know what was wrong with it. It just died one day and wouldn’t start back. I wanted it so bad that I gave him the money before I even looked at it.

I don’t remember a lot about the car. I have a picture in my mind but there’s just not much detail there. I remember my uncle taking me to get it. I remember that it was white, and I think it was a Ford. It had been sitting in an overgrown field for several years, so the paint was faded and the tires were flat.

We figured we might have to tow it to my uncle’s house so he could work on it but he wanted to see if it would start first. He raised the hood and put a battery on and hooked up the wires. After we knocked off a few mud dauber nests, he poured a little gas into the carburetor to prime it. Then I got in the car and put the key in the ignition and turned it over. It started so I kept trying.

Finally, after several tries, my uncle said, “Woah! It ain’t gonna crank, boys. There’s a hole in the motor the size of my fist. Come and look.” With my shoulders drooping from disappointment, I stepped out of the driver’s seat to take a look. Sure enough, there was a big hole in the motor on the driver’s side. It had slung a rod. No wonder it had stopped running with the previous owner. I was disappointed. There was no way to fix it short of replacing the motor, which, back then, could be done for only a few hundred bucks, but I didn’t have the money, so told the guy he could keep the fifty bucks if he would keep the car and I just left it there and went back home.

As I was thinking about the lesson that could be learned from this story, I realized there are several.

1) Sometimes we think we can fix something but find out there’s nothing we can do. In those situations, we just have to give it to God and let it go. There’s no need to get angry or discouraged. That usually only makes things worse, and it’s not good for our health.

2) Many times we want something really badly, but when we get it, we realize it wasn’t what we needed at all. That shouldn’t discourage us from going after something we want later, but we should be more cautious the next time, and not jump into something without thorough investigation. We need the grace of God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to make good decisions. Always ask God for guidance.

3)We should not give up on others because they may not be able to do what they thought they could do. Sometimes things just happen that no one could have predicted. My uncle couldn’t fix that car for me, but when I had problems with my next car, I called him for help.

4) Just like that hole in the car motor, there is a hole in our hearts that only Jesus can fill. Many times, we try to fill that void with drugs, alcohol, sex, work, dangerous thrills, Social media, and a number of other things. Some people spend a lifetime searching for the perfect thing to fill that empty space, not realizing there’s only one thing that will do it.

A close personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the Messiah, brings peace, calms our fears, and fills the emptiness in our lives. That’s the only thing that will truly do it. Anything else is equivalent to “trying to place a square peg in a round hole.” Impossible.

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DATE WITH DESTINY

I was Twenty years old and it was Summer. I was driving my dune buggy on the two-mile road that led to my house from the main highway. I hadn't had my toy long but I was driving it like I had always had it. It had been raining and I wanted to get home before it started again. One of my friends was with me and he said something about slowing down. I was driving faster than I should have been on that curvy, wet road.

Then my friend asked me a good question. He said, “What would you do if you went over this hill going this fast and there was a car stopped in the road?” I said, “I’d do this,” and quickly bumped my brakes. When I did we started spinning on the wet pavement. As I desperately tried to regain control, we slid off the road into the ditch, but we didn’t stop or even slow down. That’s when I saw the light pole coming straight toward us. Just as we reached it, we quickly turned and missed the pole and started flying backward into a muddy field. As soon as we came to a complete stop, I shifted into first gear and stomped the gas to the floor, slinging mud everywhere. When we got back on the road, I drove quite a bit slower the rest of the way home. That was a scary experience but I was so thankful that God was watching over us.

I wish I had continued driving slower from then on, but I was young, but not quite as wise as I should have been at that age. You may think I’m exaggerating when I tell you this connected story, but I promise I’m not. Just a few months later it was winter and I made a spur-of-the-moment decision. I worked several miles from home and decided to try to make it to my house and back to work on my lunch break.

I was on that same road to my house where I had the dune buggy accident earlier in the Summer and once again, I was driving too fast. It had snowed earlier in the week and there had been ice on the roads for a couple of days, but the sun came out that morning and melted most of it. There were pine trees on the right side of the road casting a shadow on the pavement. Where the shade was, the road had not been exposed to the sun so the snow and ice had not melted there. 

Just as I was going over that same exact hill I saw the patch of ice. I hit my brakes in the same exact spot where I had on the dune buggy. The car began to spin out of control just like the dune buggy did. I tried to regain control just like before but I slid off the road into the same ditch at the same spot. Then I saw that same light pole coming straight toward me. Just like before, as I was just about to hit it, the car quickly turned and started rolling back into the same muddy field. It stopped almost in the same spot as the dune buggy. I’m not kidding. No exaggeration. It was eerie how similar those two incidents were, and I knew once again that God had been watching over me. That time, though, I had to walk to a neighbor’s house and get him to pull my car out with his tractor.

There was a famous philosopher and poet in the early twentieth century named George Santayana. He once said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” I hadn’t forgotten the incident the previous Summer, but it wasn’t fresh in my mind either. I hadn’t learned anything from it, that’s for sure. There are many variations of Mr. Santayana’s famous quote. The one I like is, “Those who don’t learn from their mistakes are destined to repeat them.” I believe that one can better be applied to this situation.

The Children of Israel went through similar situations where they would serve God for many years and be prosperous. Then they would turn and serve other gods. Then God would send them into captivity. Later they would repent and turn back to God and he would deliver them, but the cycle continued.

Today, many of God’s followers are in the same situation. When we turn away from him and return to our old ways, we get into trouble. Then we call on God for help. He helps us but then we seem to forget and go our own way again. When will we learn? God will not bless us when we turn away from him and do our own thing.

A good relationship with Jesus is very important. Serving the God of heaven is very important. Jesus said, “Whoever is not with me is against me” (Matthew 12:30). He also said, “No one can serve two masters” (Luke 16:13). In John 14:6, he said he is the Way. No one can come to the Father except through Jesus. He is the door (John 10:9).

Let’s not forget who he is. Let’s not forget where he brought us from. If we do, we may find ourselves back there in the same situation we were in before. We don’t have to live in the past or focus on it to learn from it. Sometimes, we do have to look back at where we were, to appreciate where we are now. I want to learn from my mistakes and be determined not to repeat them. Who’s with me?

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STUCK - PART 3

This is part three of a post from two years ago called “Stuck.” In parts 1 and part 2, I shared a few experiences, from when I was younger and got stuck in some bad situations. In part 3, I want to talk about a few other times I was stuck.

My cousins and I were out riding around the old back roads. I always liked going down roads I had never gone down before. We were in a place that is known to flood when it rains a lot. There were sand bars on the road and in the fields left there from times when the river had overflowed into that area.

The road was getting rougher the farther we went, and I didn’t want to mess my car up, so I decided to turn around and head back to more familiar roads. I soon saw a little opening where trucks and tractors entered the field so I drove in to turn around. Well, that did it. The tires quickly sunk into that sand and my car came to a complete stop without me even applying the brake. WE WERE STUCK!

We all got out of the car to see how bad the situation was. It was pretty bad. Just about that time an old car came around the curve and slowly eased up to where we were and came to a stop. There were several shady-looking characters in the car and one of them stuck his head out and asked, “Y’all Need Ne help?”

Now, as far as I know, those men may have been the nicest guys in the world, just out riding around, like we were, but we were just teens and, at the time, most of our experiences with people who drink had not been good ones, so we said, “No Thanks.” They drove on and we started working to get the car unstuck. It wasn’t as bad as we had first thought, so we got it out of the sand, and we were soon on our way.

Another time that comes to mind is a little disturbing to me when I think back on it, but I’ll just go with “desperate times call for desperate measures.” My oldest son wasn’t even two yet. He and I were out just riding around. I came upon an old road that I had been down several years before I started driving. It was once the main road that connected two towns, but it hadn’t been used by the general public in many years. It was mostly used by deer hunters and dune buggy, and ATV riders. It was literally a dirt road.

As I drove down the road I was thinking it was still in pretty good shape. After we had driven for a while, I came around a curve and the road was blocked. A tree had fallen into the road. Even if the tree had not been there, it would have been impossible to continue on because there was a mud hole right where the tree had fallen. I was thinking we will have to turn back, but I noticed a trail bypassing the tree and mud hole. It appeared that several vehicles had left the road and had driven around the base of the tree.

There was a hump all down the side of the road where the road bank was higher than the road itself, so I knew that might be a problem. I was driving a small Toyota car, and it was pretty low to the ground. I knew I would not get over that hump traveling at a slow speed, so I gave it some gas and turned the wheel just as I came upon the detour. Instead of the car going over the hump and around the tree as I had planned, the tire hit the hump and simply slid down it, turning the car back on the road, and into the mud hole, and up under the fallen tree. I WAS STUCK AGAIN!

I tried to reverse the car but it only spun. I had some experience with stuck cars and I was sure it only needed a bit of a push while someone gave it a little gas. I had a dilemma because I had nobody to help me. My son was only a baby and he couldn’t help. He didn’t even know there was anything wrong. He just sat there in his car seat looking around.

We needed to get out of there. We were a long way from the main road and it would be getting dark soon. There was no time to walk out. I don’t remember seeing any light bulb pop up over my head, but I had an idea. I could turn the car on and put it in gear, then I could control the accelerator from under the hood. Then when the car came out of the mud, I could pull the coil wire off and the car would stop. Great idea, right? I wasn’t sure, so I unbuckled the car seat and took it out of the car with my son still buckled in it. Then I put him on the other side of some small trees on a higher level so I could still see him and there would be no way for the car to get anywhere near him just in case things didn’t go as planned.

With the car in gear and the wheels turning backward, I started pushing and it started moving. It was working! Then all of a sudden the hood started closing on me. It was being pushed down as the car was backing under the fallen tree. “No, no, no!” I screamed. I had to kill the car and it was still stuck.

While my son was just sitting quietly in his car seat just watching the action, and I was standing there, totally frustrated and as mad as a hornet, I was wondering why these kinds of things always happen to me. Just then, several people came by on ATVs and a couple of the guys helped me get the car unstuck. I was grateful and I thanked them, then we turned around and headed home.

There are many different ways we can get stuck, both literally and figuratively, but no situation is impossible with God on your side. I don’t remember the exact words I prayed that day, but I’m sure I asked him to tell ME what to do, not to send somebody to help me. I’ve learned, though, that God doesn’t always answer our prayers the way we want him to. He answers them in a way that is best for us. What I tried to do was dumb and dangerous. That was my idea, not God’s. I know he sent those nice people to help us that day, and I’m thankful he did.

We need to learn to wait on the Lord like it says in Psalm 27:14. We need to stay in constant communication with God and develop a close, personal relationship with him so we can hear and know his voice when he talks to us. We don’t need to wait until we get into trouble to talk to him. He has a lot to tell us every day, so we need to be quiet and listen. Prayer is two-way communication with God. It’s the key to a healthy relationship with him. So start using that key today.

Stuck - Part 1

http://teddylynn.blogspot.com/2015/12/stuck.html

Stuck - Part2 

https://teddylynn.blogspot.com/2016/12/stuck-part-2.html

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My books are available in paperback and digital format on Amazon @ 
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MY SECOND CAR; WORSE THAN THE FIRST

I told you about my first car several weeks ago. I wish I could tell you I had a better experience with my second car, but it is what it is; Adventure and adversity. I had a 19-inch TV I had either bought or acquired in a trade. I don’t really remember. My uncle, being a master trader, convinced me to buy a CB radio from him, and offer both the TV and the radio in trade to a man he knew, for a car he had. It was a 1975 Mustang. You heard me right; a 1975 Mustang. The ugliest Mustang body style ever made. It was red with a white rag-top, with dulling paint. It had not been well taken care of. It was sitting in his yard just rusting away. It had all kinds of problems, but my uncle assured me that he would help me get it going. He was a master mechanic, and I knew he could do it, so I made the deal, and started home. Immediately I noticed the smell of burning oil. The left side of the rear was lower than the right. The tires were bald and it smoked, but I had a car.

We got the car to my uncle’s house, and he looked it over to see what it needed. It needed to be jacked up, and a new car slid under it. That’s a funny way of saying it was a pile of junk. The motor was shot, and the transmission was on its way. The body had problems, and it was really unsafe. Well, there was nothing I could do but park it in the yard, and let it rust, or drive it until it wouldn’t go anymore.

My dad told me about an old car he had owned when he was young. It was a mess, and he couldn’t keep it running, so when he got it going one last time, he drove it into the woods toward the river as fast as he could. He ran over briers, bushes, saplings, and trees until he could go no further. He then got out, and walked away, leaving the car there to rot. He laughed when he told me an older man he knew found the car, drug it out of the bottom, fixed it, and drove it for several years.

As much trouble as I was having with my car, I wanted to do something similar, but I was thinking more along the lines of driving it off a cliff. I imagined jacking it up in the back just enough to get the tires off the ground. Then I would start it up, place a large stone on the gas peddle, and push it off the jack. In my mind I could see the car burning out, slinging dirt everywhere as it flew off the cliff, and then exploding into a ball of flames as it tumbled to its resting place, or rather, its rusting place. There were a few snags in making my fantasy a reality, though. One, I didn’t really have a cliff anywhere close. Two, I was sure it would be a crime to do something like that, especially if I didn’t own the property where this imaginary event may occur, and three, I didn’t have a large stone for the gas pedal.

In reality, I didn’t really have the courage to actually destroy the thing, so I just drove it around, visiting family, until it would die. My cousin rode around with me, and when it would die, he would jump in the driver’s seat, and I would push the car. He would let out on the clutch, and hopefully, it would crank.

One time when it died, we were going up a hill. He got behind the wheel, and let the car roll backward. He couldn’t get it to go into gear to crank it. He was so focused on the gear stick, he didn’t realize he was about to go off the road into the river. At the last minute, he turned just in time to avoid the water and ended up in some bushes.

Another day, we were off on an old gravel back road, and the thing died. It was flooded out, and wouldn’t start. The road was pretty flat, and the gravel was thick, so there was nothing we could do but call someone. We called my uncle, and he headed our way. There was only one problem; He was drinking. When he got there, he didn’t have a chain, or a tow strap with him, so he said he would push us. Now, the reason one side of my car was lower than the other was it had air shocks, and the left one had a leak. I had aired it back up, and now the rear of the car was pretty high. It looked kind of like a dragster. When my uncle started pushing us, the bumpers seemed to match up, but as he drove faster, my bumper slid on top of his, lifting the back wheels off the road. I couldn’t get the car started that way.

Having not been driving long, I was pretty nervous anyway, but knowing my uncle was drinking, I was downright scared. As he accelerated, we became terrified. We wanted him to stop, but we had no way of letting him know that. For a minute the bumper of my car was stuck on top of the bumper of his car, but when he stepped on his brakes we came loose. I tried engaging the clutch, but it was useless. The car wouldn’t start. The tires just kept sliding on the gravel.

Finally, we came to a stop in the middle of the road. When we looked back to see where my uncle was, we saw him speeding toward us, apparently with no intention of stopping. My cousin screamed, “He’s gonna hit us.” That’s exactly what he did, and we were going again, with the back wheels up in the air. Finally, the car started, and I put the pedal to the medal, hoping he would quickly realize the thing was running on its own. I drove straight to his house and parked that death trap for a while, to let my nerves settle, and I didn’t start it back up until I knew he was sober.

Another time the car died, and we couldn’t get it to start at all. We were on the road just outside my uncle’s sister’s house. We went to call him on her CB radio. She wasn’t home, but her son was, and he was drunk. He let us make the call, but I believe my uncle was sleeping, or not at home, or something. I don’t recall just why but, he wasn’t coming anytime soon, so I told my cousin, we would just have to push the car home. I jokingly said, something like, “Come on and help us push this car home,” to my cousin’s cousin. He was the guy who was drunk. He just looked at me, and I went on out to my car. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, there he was. He was acting insane, cursing, and saying all kinds of crazy stuff. He wanted to fight about what I had said. I told him I was only joking, but he wouldn’t stop. I was scared, but thank God for sending help. One of his friends came along and convinced him that I didn’t mean anything by it.

I really wanted to get my car away from there now, as quickly as possible, and I wasted no time getting it rolling. I stood up on the foot threshold and steered the car until it slowed down, then I would step off, and get it going again as fast as I could, then I would jump back up on the threshold again. I did this a couple of times, then when the car started slowing down again, I stepped down one last time.

The car was rolling much faster than I thought, so when my feet hit the ground that time, it was like they stuck to the pavement. Down I went on my left knee. It hit hard, and it’s still damaged to this day. I got up as quickly as I could to see where the car and my cousin were. He was still standing on the threshold of the passenger side. The car was still rolling with no driver. Just then it left the road and rolled up a steep embankment. It came to an abrupt stop as it hit something; Either a light pole or a fence post. My cousin fell onto the ground, and I believe the car would have rolled over on him if the door had not been open. It stuck in the ground beside him at a ninety-degree angle, preventing it from crushing him. I finally gave up and got rid of that thing, and I was glad I did. I was better off without it. It was just too much trouble.

My experiences with that car remind me of sin. We think it’s something we want, and if it’s not exactly what we want, we think we can fix it. We keep playing around with it even after it has caused us problems, and even after it almost kills us. In Job chapter 1, God said that Job was a righteous man, and he avoided evil. We need to be like Job. We need to learn to identify sin and avoid it. We will be better off if we never get caught up in it in the first place.

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