Missed Opportunity?

Sometimes, I wish God would sky-write. Or breathe on my windshield and write in his breath marks. Better yet, just answer right out loud.

I was on a road trip today driving to Northern IL for work this week. As I was tootle-ing along HWY 136, I passed a hitchhiker. Not your average long-haired, looks like he has slept in the woods for a week hitchhiker though. No, it was a man, I'd say probably close to 65 or 70. He wore an old army cap, and looked very clean. He was wearing a back pack thing...I think. Well, I had this overwhelming urge to pull over and give him a ride. Now before you start lecturing me, I will tell you I DIDN'T. BUT, I wrestled with the idea for about 50 miles. My gut hurt from fretting about it. It's weird too, because as the car in front of me and myself passed him, he had this smile like, "nope knew they weren't gonna stop either".

I had quite a talk with the Lord all the way to McLean. Here were some of my thoughts...in no particular order.

1. Hitchhikers that are planning on killing you probably wouldn't be trying to catch a ride at Noon on a Monday.

2. If my husband or father found out, they would kill me themselves.

3. I am pretty sure the bible says, do not be afraid to entertain strangers, it could be an angel (or something along those lines)

4. God will protect me, and nothing will happen to me unless it is His will.

5. What if it IS His will, that I will be killed by a strange old man I pick up on the highway???

6. Best case scenario, I pick him up, offer him a bottle of ice tea and a cookie, and I drop him off in 50-100 miles. Whatever. Maybe I was really helping him out.

7. Worst case scenario, I offer the above refreshments, and he proceeds to chop me into little peices and strew them in the corn field along the highway. At least I'll finally get to meet Jesus, right?

You get the idea. It just seems to me that we can no longer help one another. We are too afraid. Or is it just me that is too afraid? Either way, I think that is a shame.

I just told God today, that I REALLY wished He would just speak out loud and let me know what I was supposed to do. I hate to think I messed up an opportunity to help someone, because of fear. The bible tells us not to fear. But we do.

I did make a deal and said," ok, if You really want me to pick that guy up, then I will see him walking further up the road again. " Yeah nice deal. The thing is, then I would be too afraid to pick him up thinking he was some sort of demon with the power to transport himself.

Isn't there alot in life that you wish God could just give you a straight up answer to, so you knew FOR SURE, the right thing to do?