I was in a hurry. Like many days, I was limited on the amount of time I had available to me for the day and my tasks exceeded my hours. Make a list of to do’s… check! Map out course…check! Start movin…check!

Well, I got running around in my truck going from place to place and I had about 15 minutes to get to an appointment. “Right on time,” I thought to myself as I walked to my truck sipping on a fresh cup of Starbucks coffee. When I got in the vehicle and turned the key the dreaded sound occurred right before my eyes… click! Click – click – click!

Oh my goodness, a dead battery. This isn’t supposed to happen. Today is supposed to go as planned. I have many items on my task list and being stranded in a parking lot was not one of them. I raised the hood and inspected the battery. July 2005… oh my, it is old. Thankfully I was next to a store that sells batteries so I walked over to the automotive section and dropped 134 big ones. OUCH!

Problem solved. I just need to go out, install the new battery and off I will go. A few minutes and one bloody knuckle is all it took. Presto. I put the key in the ignition and… you guessed it, click – click – click!

As I stood there perplexed I was greeted by a very kind 5 year old being pushed in a stroller.

“What is wrong?” he asked.
“My truck wont start,” I answered.
Then came the proverbial question from every 5 year old. “Why not?”

I informed him that I didn’t know why but I was going to figure it out. As the stroller continued to pass me by, the pusher, a man in his late 50’s, made it quite clear that he was going to have nothing to do with me.

“If you can’t get it fixed we can help you,” said the child.
And out of the blue came the response from the stroller motor… “No we can’t!”

Well, if we could all be like this 5 year old child. “If you can’t make it, I will help you” was the message I took from this situation. How often do we reach out to others who are stranded and without Christ in their life? Do I take the time to encourage a struggling brother or sister or am I like the guy pushing the stroller? A dead battery may delay you for a few hours, but a dead soul will cause you to face eternity outside of the presence of the God of the universe. And eternity is a very long time.

I finally got the truck running after 2 1/2 hours and in that time two people offered me assistance. I decided that God was showing me something. He allowed me to discover at least three things in this event.

1. God places people in our path at the right time to help us out.
2. If the Lord wills it, today I will do this thing or that. (Jam 4:14-15)
3. There is always time to help others in need.

I hope when you encounter a stranded soul you rise to the challenge. Whether it be a dead battery, a marriage crisis, or a lost soul. There is always time to lend a hand.

Blessings,
Keith