that time I picked up 2 strangers…

I used to work in Augusta. It’s about 3 hours from where I live…well, actually, I go to the bathroom every ten minutes so it’s really more like 5 hours from where I live. It’s a long boring drive. You know the type of road. Straight. Nothing to see. Few exits.

One day I was leaving Augusta to head back home. I couldn’t wait to get back home. It had been one of those weeks. About halfway through my straight, long, boring drive, I saw a car on the shoulder. Outside of that car was a woman who was sobbing. I remember was taken aback by seeing her cry like that.

I saw the woman crying and did what every good seminary student would do…..I just kept driving. I mean, I don’t need to stop, and I had some valid reasons for not stopping. Look at these:

1.This is how every horror movie starts.
2. Surely she has someone coming to help her. I mean, everyone has a cell phone.
3. I am really tired. I just need to get home.
4. I bet the people behind me will stop to help her.
5. Did I mention this is how every horror movie starts?

So, I just kept driving. Then, a voice started to get louder and louder in my head. It went something like this, “Shelby, you claim to be one thing…but your actions are saying something different. You claim to be one thing…but your actions are saying something different.”

“UGH!” I thought to myself. The voice had convicted me. I took the next exit to turn back around. To be honest though, everything in me was hoping someone else would stop.

As I pulled up to the scene I began to size her up. I wanted to see if I could take her if she tried to kill me. I could. I think.

Finally, I pulled right up behind her car. As I did a dude, who I can only describe as Dwayne Johnson’s brother, got out of the passenger seat of the stalled car and walked towards me. “Well, this is it, Shelby. You’ve had a good life.” I thought to myself.

I rolled down the window and asked what was going on. The boyfriend leaned in and explained they were out of gas. This was perfect! Then I could go get the gas and would never have to get out of the car. I was safe!

I said something like, “Oh man, that sucks. Let me go get you some gas. I’ll be right back.” Right before I headed out though he said, “Hey, my girlfriend is freaking out. Can we just ride with you?”

Stop the press. Think about all that was going through my head. What would you have said? Yeah, I wanted to say that same thing. But when I opened my mouth something else came out, “Sure! Hop in!” I said.

Listen, that wasn’t me. Something else was happening there. That was not what I meant to say.

They jumped in the car and as we headed off I noticed two things. One, they were coming off of a pretty strong high. Two, the woman was going through my stuff and I didn’t really like that.

It just so happened I was in a seminary back then, so as she went through my stuff she found all my seminary books. Somewhere along the journey, she asked me about them.

She said something like, “What are you doing with all these books?” I responded, “I’m in seminary. I want to be a pastor someday.”

After some awkward silence, I noticed her eyes were beginning to water. She eventually spoke up. Fighting back the tears she said something like, “I used to go to church when I was a kid. Things are different now. I can’t get off these damn drugs.”

Then, in a shaky voice, she asked, “Do you think God still loves me?”

What a question…

I told her, “I don’t know a lot of things, but I am absolutely sure that the God of the universe sees you and loves you.”

We eventually made it back to the car. I filled up their gas, prayed with them, and they went on their way. I’d love to tell you she got out and gave her life to Christ and stopped drug use right then and there, but that didn’t happen.

I don’t know what happened to them, but I do know this- because I allowed the Holy Spirit to interrupt my life, and because I actually said yes to God, I had the privilege of passing a love letter from the Creator of the universe to his daughter.

I’ll never forget it.

I allowed God to interrupt my life. I don’t do it often…but this time I did.

Guys, I think comfort is killing us. I see it all around. If I would have clung to my comfort in that situation I would have missed a chance to hang with God. It was a lot more comfortable to just keep driving, and who could have blamed me right?

Listen, the holy spirit is always an interrupter. He will always ask you to go out of your comfort zone. There will always be an excuse not to do that thing. Don’t let the excuses win.

Comfort is addictive, it’s attractive, it feels nice, but in the end, when comfort becomes your God you’ll be the only one left standing in your life. All alone and isolated. Because relationships are uncomfortable.

Don’t believe me? Well, think about this. What was the sin of Sodom? A lot of people would argue the sin of Sodom was sexual immorality. But it wasn’t. Look at this verse, “ Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it.” Ezekiel 16:49–50.

In other words, their sin was an addiction to comfort! America, are we that much different? Don’t let excess food and prosperous ease win the day.

God didn’t give you his spirit for you to chase comfort. He gave you his spirit so that you can change the world. Are you willing to let God interrupt your life this week?