Taming the Beast

A year and a half ago I smacked up against a situation I didn't know how to handle. Actually, I thought I knew how to handle it, but had I carried out my original plan the consequences could have been disastrous.

After Bobby received the news that he had been chosen to be a coach for the Houston Astros we were elated. We put our house on the market immediately, thinking it would take months, or even a year to sell. It sold in 4 days. During this time I was traveling nonstop as an educational consultant and speaker for Truly Fed Ministries, while Bobby packed up his jeep and moved to Houston; never to return to our home state of Colorado. The problem was who was going to move the contents of our home from Colorado to Texas? We knew we could save thousands of dollars doing it ourselves, and frankly, we didn't have the money to pay someone to move us.

As we looked ahead to making a plan, we realized that scheduling this move was going to be tough. I had a speaking engagement in northern California,would get home on a Sunday night to pack the house into a giant moving van on Monday, then begin the drive from Colorado to Texas by myself,as Bobby was in the middle of his baseball season and couldn't take off to help me drive. Once I got to Texas I'd dump the contents of our truck in a storage garage, and have 5 days to reorganize before leaving to work in Uganda. Needless to say, I was going to be tired!

Before leaving Colorado I met my friend Margaret one day for lunch, and was sharing with her our plan for the move. She looked at me quizzically and said "You're crazy! Why don't I drive the moving van with you to Texas?" I was in shock because honestly, the thought of asking for help never dawned on me. Here she was, mother to two kids, full-time job as an high ranking executive at a large company--offering to help me drive a dirty moving truck to Texas. When I asked her why she would do that her response was "Why wouldn't I?"

I've never forgotten that. She had a thousand good reasons to never even mention helping me. I didn't expect an ounce of help, and she was offering it without an inkling of emotion as to the strain it would put on her family and co-workers.

Margaret and I had quite an adventure. We affectionately named the truck "The Beast" as we rolled down the highway at top speeds of 45 mph. People at gas stations would stop and stare at us, when finally one woman shouted "You two are my heroes!" She even asked to take our picture hanging out the doors of our beloved beast.

I've often thought that if Margaret hadn't been with me I'm certain I would have struggled to stay awake and alert. I had just come off an intense speaking schedule where I hardly slept for days. Every time she took the wheel I slumped into the passenger seat and was asleep mid-sentence. I know I couldn't have physically lasted through the rolling highway that lulled me into a snoring haze.

Whenever I think about that move I think about Margaret. She echoed in her behavior the words of Jesus when He said "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." And although we don't need to drive giant trucks across state borders with people to show we care...sometimes we just need to lay down our lives for a few moments and pay attention to what's going on. A call, a card, a hug.

When we lay down our lives for someone else, what we've laid down is often just what they need to build up. We lay down, friends build up...it's a great way to tame our beasts.

Blessings!
Gari