It was a tranquil early morning of -17°F with nothing but the stars over head as my wife and I drove down a lonely mountain highway in the Gunnison National Forrest one New Years Eve. It was going to be a long drive back to Texas, but we had started out early, before sunrise, in hopes of missing the drunk drivers that would be out that evening. I remember thinking about how pleasant and peaceful that morning was. I was with the love of my life traveling home from a wonderful ski trip in a four wheel drive Toyota Tacoma that I saved for and was completely paid for in full. Everything seemed all together and perfect as our eyes were focused on the road and our ears to the book on tape that was playing.
I still remember the part of the book we were on when my wife interrupted saying, “No, No, No, No...,” as my truck slid on black ice entering a curve with no traction. As we crossed over into the lane of oncoming traffic I began to realize that there was nothing I could do but wait to regain control of the vehicle again. I could hardly believe what was happening while at times we were airborne down a 30 foot drop off to the valley floor. Finally, the truck smashed into a large rail-road-tie that was in place because of so many that had met our fate. The rail road tie missed the cab of the vehicle by inches and we were left with nothing but the sound of the back tires spinning and slapping the bed of the pickup.
With no cell phone reception I was forced to walk back towards Gunnison in the dark bone chilling cold. I walked down lonely Colorado 114 and I thought about how different my day was turning out to be! What were we going to do? How long would it take for someone to drive along this stretch of highway. I began to plead with God for help in desperation that morning. I even began a light jog as I noticed a variety of all kinds of animal prints in the snow on the side of the road. Just about the time I was starting to get really worried I saw two headlights heading my way off in the distance. I signaled for the driver to stop, and with hesitancy the driver came to a stop and cracked her window. I explained to her that we had gotten into an accident and that my wife was alone inside the vehicle waiting for me to get help. The woman graciously welcomed me out of the cold into her vehicle and informed me that she would get me back to my wife and call for help. Charlotte was from Granbury, Texas, where I taught high school and offered us a ride home all the way back to Stephenville, Texas. I gladly accepted an thought how wonderful God truly is. He sent help to me that morning in the form of an amazingly kind woman.
Totalled! The representative from the insurance informed me that my truck was totaled. In insurance speak that meant my truck was worth more dead than alive! It was easier and more cost effective to give me a check for a new truck than it was to fix the one I had. My truck was only useful as scrap.
How often does society treat people that have crashed and gone off the cliff of life as totaled? How often do we do that as Christians! My favorite truck was just an object of steel, plastic, glass, and rubber, but a human is created in the image of God. (Gen. 1:27)
“16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin[b] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2nd Corinthians 5:16-21)
Even the worst of humanity is redeemable. God sent His Son to fix a relationship with humanity that no human could repair. The price was high, but without the blood of Christ we would all be totaled. However, the calling of His creation is that we see no man as totaled beyond repair, but rather redeemable through the saving blood of Christ. Just like Charlotte lived out her calling in helping two total strangers one early New Years Eve we too can be Christ’s Ambassadors in a dark and cold world!
Prayer
Lord, you hold the universe in your hand, and it is hard to believe that you would call me to be Your ambassador. Help me to see my neighbor through Your eyes with compassion and grace. Give me the wisdom and grace to restore those so desperate for your love and grace back to the comfort of your embrace. In all the words that come out my mouth season them with grace and mercy towards a broken world. Even as I find myself in a broken state please help me to realize that you will never give up on me and that I can be made whole once again. Father, thank You for Your amazing love that You have shown through Your Son, and it is in His name that I pray, amen.
Tanner Fain
Stephenville, Texas
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