~ written by Connie Dunmyer
The Rest of the Story (from Monday’s “What Do These Stones Mean?”)
Quick recap:
Joshua 4:5-7 and Genesis 9:14-15. Scripture reminds us of miracles God has performed. And God will also use “things” in our lives, such as stones or rainbows, to remind us of His good working in our lives. We last left our 2 freshly married teenagers are in a motel after their truck was smashed by a drunk driver, while moving to Colorado from Ohio. An angel came to them and told them “they were ok”. (If you haven’t read Monday’s blog, you may want to read it to have context for the rest of the story.)
After a good night’s sleep, Dana called the Ford dealership. The service manager started to tell him everything that was damaged on the truck, but Dana interrupted: “Please… don’t tell me everything that is wrong… just tell me what it will take to get the engine started.” Dana feared that his very human nature would hear the details, and that his faith would take too harsh a beating. The service manager said they would have to reconnect the fuel line to the gas tank because it had been separated by the collision. He said he would charge $14.00 to do that. We agreed and told him that we’d be down to pick it up as soon as we could get a cab.
We showed up at the dealership and after paying for the repair, they escorted us back through a huge junkyard behind the dealership where they had towed the truck. It was against a fence at the very back of the junkyard. Just seeing the truck sucked us dry of every ounce of faith. The cab had been crushed in and was no longer sitting straight on its frame. We both crawled in the passenger side (because the driver’s door was still smashed in and unusable) – Dana turned the key and the engine started. The service manager again tried to tell us everything else that was wrong with the truck and Dana just interrupted and told him it would be just fine and that we didn’t need to know anything else. So having climbed in, Dana put it in drive and started driving through the maze of destroyed vehicles in the yard. Dana looked back and saw the service manager and others standing there watching. To this day he says:
“I’ll never forget the look on the faces of the Service Manager and mechanic as we drove away.
Their mouths just dropped open.”
That evening, we ran into a snow and ice storm in Kansas. Our battered truck kept sliding off the road, so we had to stop at a small motel for the night. More dwindling dollars. Finally, the following afternoon, 3 days into our 1-day journey, we found our way to the Colorado border. And as was my habit, I took a picture of the welcome sign on the highway. For my little teenage heart, I was finally arriving at my “heart’s desire” – the dream of seeing those Colorado mountains I stared at on that souvenir scarf.
We’ve always believed that God blesses us with rainbows as a sign of his love and care, just as the first rainbow was a sign of His deliverance in the book of Genesis. It had been miserable snow/ice weather until we hit the Colorado border. Then as we entered Colorado, God once again reminded us of His promises. The snow, ice, & rain stopped. And we were given another big, bright rainbow directly in front of us. We knew we were doing exactly what God wanted us to do and that He was in control of our lives.
Entering Colorado, it didn't even look any different from Kansas. There's a lot of prairie on the east side of Colorado. Even angling down toward Colorado Springs, it's pretty much prairie (almost desert in November). Where were my promised mountains? But then we rounded a curve . . . and it took my breath away. I imagine if a person was used to mountains, that view was not all that amazing. But to me – it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. My hope. My wish. My dream. My promise. We both looked at each other and realized that this particular view was of a living room painting we had seen. Not sure where or who had it - but we both recognized it. And so here I was - in this very surreal moment – staring at the real things that little souvenir scarf had born seed to in my heart. What a wonder! What a miracle to this young girl!
A beautiful story? Sure.
An Angel? You may think “maybe”.
But fantasy? . . . Stay with me for a little bit more.
We arrived in Colorado Springs very tired. Bible college set us up with a sponsor couple, Mel and Fran, who volunteered to take us in, help us get jobs and register for classes. We turned the corner for their house and all of a sudden the turning of the steering wheel was like turning concrete. It did not want to move. We pulled into the driveway with significant effort – and the truck just stopped. After telling them our story, Mel and Dana decided to assess the damage of the truck and see what was behind the shocked look on the faces of the service people we left behind in St. Louis.
They pried open the hood, started looking around and then came face to face with the damage … or rather face to face with the hand of God! With tears welling up in their eyes, they looked at each other without saying a word. Remember the crooked, smashed cab? Well, it was off the frame by about 8 inches. Remember the mechanics had to reconnect the fuel line between the cab and the fuel tank by the bed of the truck? Upon popping the hood open, we saw that the steering wheel linkage was totally separated. The 2 ends were not even connected. They were separated by about 8 inches.
When we were driving our truck through the maze of other wrecked cars in the junkyard… and when we drove through the ice and snow storm of Kansas… and when we crossed the border of Colorado heading for the destination we believed God had called us to… and when we were being assured of God’s care as we were greeted by the rainbow of His promise… little did we know just how much care God was giving. Dana wasn’t the one steering our vehicle, because he couldn’t. It wasn’t attached. Instead, GOD’s very hand steered our little truck all the way to our new home.
“Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.” ~ Ezekiel 1:28
Indeed – Glory be to God Almighty!! I remind you that this is not a fairy-tale, it is a true story. God is not merely the God of the past – He is the God of the present – and the God of our future. He is the SAME God! He does not change and He never grows weary! How can I help but praise Him? How could I tell this story without crying? Praise His Name!
There are a couple of things I’ve learned over the years about God’s rainbows – these promises of love for our lives:
First – to see a rainbow, you have to be looking up. We need to expect God’s love and promises to be fulfilled in our lives. When we’re walking through the rain, it’s easy to become downcast. It takes effort to “look up” – to expect the hand of God. Just like God’s love and promises, rainbows are there whether we are looking for them or not. So let’s look up, and look for them.
Second – to see a rainbow, you need to see through difficulties and clouds in the same way God sees through them. Rainbows are all the colors hidden in light that become visible through the prism-effect that water provides. We may not like the water (the storm), but it is only through the storm that we are able to somehow see the beauty deep within the light.
We are all created in the image of God. He loves us and wants us to experience His love, acceptance and forgiveness personally.
And yes, it takes effort. It requires active participation to look up, and look through the rain, the storms, to see the promise. Some days it’s just a promise of a promise. Some days it’s an angel. Some days it’s hidden. But one day, the promise will show up. And I don’t want to miss it because my face and my faith are downcast.
“When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” ~ Luke 21:28
Enjoy this Thanksgiving Season – Be full of Thanks, and turkey, and pie, and fun, and family. And by all means, keep looking up!
Oh and by the way, “they lived happily ever after” … well, 47 years and counting!
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