My An Arkie's Faith column from the November 9, 2022, issue of The Polk County Pulse.
The black road seemed to soak up the light from the headlights as the Hyundai wound its way down the crooked northwest Arkansas road. Heavy rain pelted the car as the windshield wipers struggled to keep up with the deluge of water hitting the windshield. I tightened my grip on the steering wheel as I tried to see ahead into the darkness.
Bright lights shone in my rearview mirror, making me nervous. "Why is that car tailgating me when the conditions are so treacherous," I thought. Occasionally the black of the stormy night was illuminated with streaks of bold light as lightning lit the road for a few seconds. For a moment, I could see just how narrow the road was. There were no shoulders, and trees lined the edge of the road.
As I guided the car around yet another curve, suddenly, I saw a large tree branch across the road. I veered hard to the left and squeezed between the branch and a large tree growing next to the road. As I steered back into my lane, I heard a dull thud and felt something hit the car. The headlights were no longer shining behind me. "Did that car hit me," I wondered? As soon as I came to a house, I pulled into the driveway and stopped. Getting out of the car in the pouring rain, I inspected the vehicle as best I could but didn't see any damage. Breathing a sigh of relief, I continued down the road.
As we proceeded the final mile to our destination, we tried to figure out what had just happened. We were on our way to pick up our granddaughters from the boarding academy they attended. We were visiting them this weekend because my granddaughter, Autumn, was the lead in the school play. We were excited to see her performance as Rosie the Riveter. The play would be the following evening, but tonight was a time for family to be together and a pizza party at Fratelli's Wood-Fired Pizzeria.
By the time we dropped the girls back at their dormitory, the thunderstorm was over, but there was still light rain. I returned to our VRBO via a longer highway route to avoid the narrow, crooked roads. The following day, the sun shone as I drove back to the dorm to pick up the girls. We would be spending the day with family before attending the performance of Rosie the Riveter that evening. I chose the same route to the dorm I had taken the night before. When I came to the area where I had swerved to miss the tree, I slowed to a crawl, trying to see if I could figure out what had happened.
When I came around the corner, I saw that the large tree branch had been cut with a chainsaw and removed from the road. On the other side of the road, there were marks on the large tree at the road's edge, and down the embankment were a front bumper, grill, and suspension parts. The car from the night before must have swerved too far to the left and hit the tree. That was the thud that we heard. The plastic front bumper must have hit our car as it flew off after the impact.
As I picked up my granddaughter, she was excited as she tried to tell me the story of the evening before. When I dropped her off the night before, she couldn't believe how quiet the dorm was. Usually, there is talking, giggling, and excitement, but not tonight. "What is going on," she asked. She found out that soon after she left with us for the evening, the dorm was locked down. The lockdown was lifted just a few minutes before she returned. Everyone was shaken up by the events of the evening.
The police had alerted the school that they were pursuing a suspect who was armed and dangerous. The suspect broke into a home and shot someone during the robbery. After fleeing the scene, he crashed into a tree and fled on foot. As I listened to her story, a shiver ran down my spine. The car the night before had been tailgating me because he was fleeing the crime scene, and I was in his way. If we had stopped to see what had caused the thud, I'm sure our car would have been commandeered, and who knows what he would have done to us. I sent up a quick prayer of thanks to God for his protection.
After spending a wonderful day with family and hiking at Natural Falls State Park in Oklahoma, we returned to the school to see the drama department's performance of Rosie the Riveter. From the opening scene, my granddaughter lit up the stage with her portrayal of Rosie.
As the play opens, it's January 1942, and Eddie, the owner of Eddie's Auto Parts Factory, is struggling now that there is a freeze on car parts manufacturing. His secretary, Rosie, wonders if the factory can secure a government contract and make airplane parts instead if only they can find workers. Rosie is willing to shed tradition, roll up her sleeves and do her part. She recruits women to fill manufacturing jobs and is chosen to become the iconic image that will inspire many women workers to join the cause.
Rosie the Riveter was the star of a campaign to recruit female workers for defense industries during World War II. She became perhaps the most iconic image of working women. The Rosies from World War II had a common enemy to defeat. They rolled up their sleeves and went to work. Just as the iconic poster proclaims, they said collectively, "we can do it!"
We, as Christians, also have an enemy to defeat. But too often, we are taking the fight to the wrong places. Ephesians 6:11 (NLT) tells us to "put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil." "Most importantly, be disciplined and stay on guard. Your enemy the devil is prowling around outside like a roaring lion, just waiting and hoping for the chance to devour someone." 1 Peter 5:8 (VOICE)
Gentle Reader, we can do it! We can make a difference. But we won't change the world by organizing a mob or by railing against the government. We transform the world by living as followers of Jesus. "I ask that you pray for all people. Ask God to bless them and give them what they need. And give thanks. You should pray for rulers and for all who have authority. Pray for these leaders so that we can live quiet and peaceful lives—lives full of devotion to God and respect for him. This is good and pleases God our Savior." 1 Timothy 2:1-3 (ERV) Let's pray for change, justice, righteousness, and love. And little by little, person by person, by God's grace, we can change the world. We can do it!
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