Our goal as Christians should be to become Christ-like - to be instruments of God's Love. The Bible says we are ambassadors of Jesus Christ and that God personally makes His appeal to the world through us. The only way we can ever properly represent Jesus Christ to the world is to let His character show through our attitudes and actions.
This month, instead of addressing a question, I'd like to recognize a precious employee of K-House who is a perfect example of what an ambassador of Jesus Christ should be. If you've ever called K-House and ordered a product, you may have spoken with Linda, who works in our Customer Service Department. Last month, two weeks prior to Christmas, she made a split-second decision to listen to the "still, small voice of God" and became a hero to all of us here at K-House.
It was 11:30 p.m. when Linda and her husband, Bob, were returning home from visiting with her mother- and father-in-law. The black ice on the narrow mountain road and the falling snow made the ten-mile journey home extremely dangerous.
They were halfway up the canyon when she noticed a car turned upside down in the ditch with the lights still on. Seeing vehicles in the ditch was nothing unusual for this stretch of highway, even on a clear night with dry roads. So, coming upon this car did not alarm either one of them. As they were going past the wrecked vehicle, Linda heard the voice of GOD say, "STOP!" Mimicking what she heard, she blurted out, "STOP!" Bob hit the car brakes and slid to the side of the road. Linda then asked him if he'd go check out the overturned car.
To get down to it was no easy task. The snow was deep and he needed to climb down an eight-foot embankment. When Bob finally reached the car, he called out and a small female voice said, "Help me." He tried to open the door, but it had been bent from the impact of the crash. Deciding that he needed more help, he climbed up the embankment, turned the truck around and went back to his parents' house to call 911, leaving Linda to stay with the girl.
Linda slid down the eight-foot embankment and stood thigh deep in water and snow. The car was sinking deeper into the ditch and filling up with water. As Linda was praying, the Lord spoke to her again and told her to get the girl out of the car. So Linda asked the girl if she could roll down the window. She tried, but it would only open a few inches.
Linda dug away snow and debris from the side of the car with her bare hands. She leaned against the mountain, kicked the window in, took hold of the girl's jacket and pulled her through the window with such force that she literally threw the girl into the mountainside.
As we were listening to Linda tell the story, we were chuckling and in awe at the same time, because Linda is barely five feet tall and very small in stature. There is no way she could have done any of those things without the Lord's Divine help.
She managed to help the girl up the embankment and onto the road. The girl's name was Mandy and she was only 16 years old. When they got to the top, Mandy cried and would not let go of Linda, even though she had to bend down to hug her. Mandy laughed and told Linda that she looked a lot bigger when she was down in the ditch.
At that moment, Linda experienced a supernatural love for Mandy. Not sympathetic or nurturing love, but God's Agape Love. Linda physically felt the Love of Jesus flow through her to Mandy in a way she had never experienced before with anyone. In retrospect, she was being used as a conduit of God's Love. It was as if Mandy had the arms of Jesus wrapped around her. Linda was being His "arms" of Love.
When Bob returned from calling the authorities, Linda and Mandy waited in the truck until Mandy's father arrived. They were cold and chilled to the bone, so it seemed like an eternity before he got there. (During this time, only one other car drove by on the desolate road.) Of course, when her father arrived, he was panicked until he knew his only child was not hurt and that she was going to be OK. He couldn't thank Bob and Linda enough for what they had done.
This would be the end of this heroic story, but as Linda was reflecting back on what happened, she remembered that Mandy and her dad kept staring at her. She couldn't figure out why, until she remembered a Scripture in Psalms that says, "They looked unto Him and were radiant" (Psalm 34:5). She believes they were not seeing her, but were seeing the radiance of Jesus in her.
When we are filled with God's Love, we will become powerhouses because we will become what we were designed to be from the beginning: open vessels, not only experiencing God's Life for ourselves, but also passing His Life on to others. God's Love is electric, and when we allow Him to Love through us, we also become "radiant." This infilling experience is the whole meaning and purpose of our lives.
Linda was used as God's ambassador in this situation. First of all, she did not discount the voice of God. She listened and obeyed. Secondly, she chose to set herself aside, so that His supernatural Life would flow through her. A miracle not only happened to Mandy that night, but to Linda, as well. She experienced, firsthand, God's Life flowing through her with His Love, Wisdom, and Power.
Precious Lord, lead us in Jesus' way today, doing what He would do in those situations beyond our control.
In the name of Jesus, the All-Powerful One.
Debbie Holland
King's High Way Manager
