Was I really stopped for a Speeding Ticket?

Nursery Before

I stood holding the paint dripped door handle to the nursery at church. "Do I leave the door unlocked and go pick up the final item for this room, or should I call the generous woman and inform her that we no longer need a baby swing?" My Pastor had entrusted me to lock all the doors behind me when I had finished working in the room. I paused for a moment to allow time for the Holy Spirit to guide my steps.

Earlier in the week, God had placed it on my heart to paint and equip the small mobile trailer parked at church. Over the past year, our church had grown in size and we were now in need of new classrooms. Fervent prayer led to God providing several new Sunday school classrooms. That's when several members of the church, including myself and my young son spent the day painting, putting up new fixtures and clearing weeds. My task was to spend that church work day disinfecting and vacuuming the church nursery.  I left church that day with a strong desire to complete this task. Perhaps, God wanted me to do more with the nursery at church.

Over the next week, the idea of refurbishing the church nursery remained on my heart. So, I called the Pastor at church and asked if I could redecorate the small room. He welcomed the opportunity. "I would like to start by painting the room if that would be okay Pastor?" I requested. The Pastor obliged and offered to assist if I needed help.

We chose a day to meet at the church. That day, the Pastor laid out all of the tools I needed, paint, paint brushes, etc. It only took a few hours to paint the entire room. Before I painted, I removed the old and broken furniture. Now, that the room was vibrant and smelled of fresh paint, I just couldn't fathom placing these same items back in the room. I needed something to make the small nursery feel warm and welcoming. $2.00 off white sheer curtains purchased from the local thrift store and a silk ficus tree decorated the empty spaces and the nursery began to feel like home.

Next, I searched the Internet site called Craigslist for gently used nursery items such as a glider, end table and nursery room rug to fill the empty room. Then, I drove to the homes to pick up each item. During each meeting, I began conversations about my faith in Jesus Christ. It wasn't until I was ready to pick up the final item, that I realized the task of redoing the nursery was simply God's way of having me share the Gospel with others.

I had one item left to pick up. Yet, I faced a quandary. Because I had already called my Pastor for assistance several times, I felt uneasy about bothering him over this simple decision. Yet, I wondered. "If I lock the door, I will have to call Pastor to unlock it yet another time. But, if I leave the door unlocked,  I will be ignoring his request to lock the door behind me." I began to pray, "Please Lord, guide my steps!"

I decided to drive the final destination. "I will make it a fast trip." I thought. I had only driven down the street about a mile before I realized I was speeding. In fact, I was driving at least 20 miles over the speed limit when I zoomed passed the parked sheriff across the road. The dusty trail behind me must have caught his attention. Perhaps that is why he immediately U-turned and sped to catch up with me. I was caught!

In the past, the adrenaline overflow within me would have caught me off-guard. However, I had experienced such a Spiritual high from sharing the Gospel over the past week, that I felt prepared for the moment that lie ahead. So, I decided to pull myself over. I sat patiently waiting for the sheriff to catch up to me. There, on the side of the road, I pondered just how I would share my testimony with the officer while he wrote my speeding ticket. I smiled knowing that somehow God would pay the cost of the speeding ticket, if I simply praised His name!

Perhaps the sheriff changed his mind about issuing me a ticket. Amazed, I watched in my rear view mirror as the sheriff U-turned again and returned to his parking spot there on the opposite side of the road. I shook my head and looked up to the heavens. "I was ready to share You with the man Lord!" Then, I drove away slowly, smiling and praising God through song.

Later, on my way back to the church, I drove past that same spot. I looked for that same sheriff. "Ticket or no ticket, I will share the Gospel," I thought. As I drove passed I noticed that he had left his spot. So, I returned to the church. I carefully placed that final item, a baby swing, in the new nursery and locked the door behind me. Then, I praised God again for keeping the church secure in my absence.

These days, each time a new church member comments about the look of the refurbished nursery, I say a quiet little prayer. "Thank You God for the opportunity to share You with others. I can't wait for my next task! Amen."

Nursery After

Would you have left the church door unlocked? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below! 

To read this author's personal testimony please go to: http://dlouyoung.blogspot.com/p/store.html