Fueled by Faith

Chicken Soup for the Soul: A Book of Miracles

BY: Courtney Rusk

We have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.
~1 John 3:21-22


The night air blew on my young unblemished face as our car lumbered along on the long asphalt road. It was a Wednesday, like many others before. My mom, three brothers, two sisters, and I were on our long trip home from a church youth activity. Although I was not quite old enough to attend the youth socials, my mom worked with the program, so I always looked forward to watching from the back of the room as spirits were lifted and laughs shared.


Perhaps one reason I looked so forward to the Wednesday church nights as a child was not because of my burning faith, but because it pulled me away from the troubles that often waited at home.


During these long hard years, my family of eight struggled financially. It was difficult for my father to keep a steady job, and my mother barely earned minimum wage at a physically and emotionally demanding job. There were many times when we truly did not know where our next meal would come from, but we somehow always survived. And we somehow always made it to church every Wednesday and Sunday.


On this particular Wednesday, we all piled into the car and drove the thirty long miles from our old wood-frame home in the secluded country to civilization, to church. My mother must have known that she was low on gas and lower on money, but her determination overpowered her logic.


There we were on our way home from church on a dark empty road somewhere between civilization and home, and our 1980 Ford station wagon stalled, then rolled to a dead stop.


We sat there for a few minutes that seemed more like hours, while my mother frantically tried to restart the car. I sensed her nervousness and felt fear creep into the car. There we sat, long before the days of cell phones, completely alone. I can only imagine some of the thoughts that crept through her mind. My dad was out of town. No one would even realize we were in trouble. We could sit there all night. Finally, Mom turned around and looked over the back seat to where all six of the children were piled together.


"Kids," she said softly, but intently, "we are going to have to pray."


None of us asked questions. We were a family that relied heavily on prayer. However, in that intense moment, we all knew that this prayer was different from the ones that we said safely kneeling by our beds. Each one of us seemed to take on his or her shoulders the responsibility of the family's safety. As a child, sitting there in that car with my hands folded tightly and tears streaming down my cheeks, I prayed harder than I ever had before.


We pleaded out loud, fully convinced that Someone out there was aware of us. I cannot recall how long we prayed, but I can easily recall the feeling of peace that came over us like a warm blanket. We stopped praying, raised our bowed heads, and looked up at each other.


My mother smiled sweetly and reassuringly and slowly moved her hand toward the key. She clicked the key just enough to make the gauge lights come on. Our eyes locked on the needle that seemed to tauntingly hang there below the "E." Full of hope, we all watched intently, waiting for my mom to try to start the car. Just then, before she could turn the key, the needle on which all eyes were locked began to move up. Slowly, before our amazed and frightened eyes, the needle moved above the "E."


Mom glanced back at us with a look of amazement that soon turned to gratitude and joy. She quickly turned the key, started the car and drove all the way down that lonely road safely to our driveway.


We did not speak of the incident on the ride home or the next day. We did not need to. The next morning, as my mom poured gas from a gas can into the car to get it to start again, I watched, knowing that something miraculous had happened to all of us the night before... something none of us could ever deny. The hope that may have been young and unsteady before was forever embedded in my heart. From that point on, I knew that miracles could happen and that my life would always be fueled by faith.

http://www.beliefnet.com/Inspiration/Chicken-Soup-For-The-Soul/2010/12/Fueled-by-Faith.aspx?source=NEWSLETTER&nlsource=49&ppc=&utm_campaign=DIBSoup&utm_source=NL&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_term=mail.ru