Before I get into what happened to me today, first, some of you won't read this because it really is too long but if not just for the lesson, you might find it mildly interesting if you give it a try. Not real confident with my ability to hold attention so, maybe maybe not interesting. Also, you've read my earlier posts, and I'm one to think that God rarely intervenes. When people/preachers go on about how God constantly speaks to them with specifics, and some go on about how they think God made this that or the other thing happen, I either think they are a shyster (mostly TV preachers on that
)or they are good people that get a little confused and tell themselves that, because they'd like to believe it. I think thinking that makes us feel closer to God bless our hearts so, not a big deal. But none of that's to say he doesn't intervene at times, so I judge no one either way.
That said, won't go into detail on the mishap that cased me not to have a car or any way to get groceries except for what little I could order online from Walmart, and some of you know, that's not much. I had a good stock in the freezer so it just did get pretty serious as I had not been to the grocery store for 7 months. During the last 5 or 6 months, I built 2 bicycles, the first a 2 wheeler that I couldn't ride due to a fairly severe mobile handicap, I can't pedal at all also because of knee surgery in my good leg...yeah kinda messed up down there.
I added an electric hub motor, plus a gas engine, because it just wouldn't do for me to break down. I bought a bike trailer, tried the 2 wheeler, and It just didn't feel right. At 62 and with the handicap, plus the fact I fell over on it once and it's not like the old days when I could fall over on my 750 Honda because I couldn't support it well with the left leg, pop back up and move on, no problem. Falls feel different as we age as some are well aware, so back to the drawing board. I'm telling all I tried here for a reason. Ordered a three wheeler/an old man bike
from Walmart and same thing front electric motor and gas engine and after trying everything I could to avoid that 12 mile round trip to the store, I finally got up the courage to try it today, and turns out I was afraid for good reason...main trial run and all. I had driven it to the quicky mart, 1 mile there on gas and 1 mile back on electric with zero problems, so it passed tiny test. That's to say I didn't stupidly just go, I did testing first.
I attached the camera, a couple of thermoses in handle bar holders, buckled packs to the center of the bike and to the back basket. Bungied a Bin on top of the trailer bed for extra space, and off I went. I got stuck in the sand before I even got off my dirt road, made it to the hard road and smooth sailing. At about mile 4 the battery that was supposed to give me a good 20 miles started dying. Repaired the broken chain that broke on my washboard dirt road, fired up the gas, and shortly the chain came off, repaired it, and eventually got to the store, where they let me charge it up fully as I shopped.
And did I ever shop. I filled every nook and cranny, and off I went to home. Smooth sailing for a mile or so until I hit a hill with all that weight...it really was way to heavy but I didn't want to have to do this again till spring so I had good reason to load up (lots of heavy meats). Trailer tire popped on the way pushing it up the hill, had a spare tube, repaired it and off I go. POP!...cheap Ebay tube, but I only had the one spare so I didn't even stop for the second flat...no need to lose my momentum. Another mile or so at about 4 miles from the store, the battery started dying, so back to gas.
I looked at several claims on battery range BTW, and all I can figure is ebike manufactures lie because I didn't get near the 20 to 25 miles I should unless I did something wrong in figuring mine from their info. That's just to say I did the best I could on that too , and that "best I could" is what is relevant here and why I'm adding every thing I did on this trip and to get ready for it.
Then the fun part, and I should add now I had prayed the night before to see me there and back, a quick, no frills add on to the usual stuff. 1 1/2 to 2 miles from home the chain came off and this time wrapped around in such a way as to bend the spokes badly/break some, IOW, all she wrote, it wasn't going anywhere. I had been running on a flat, had a dead battery and no way the chain would stay on the sprocket, and as you may have picked up on, I don't walk well at all, I had several hundred dollars worth of perishables on the bike, and to top it all off, the sun was getting close to setting. I was then pecking out some numbers on the phone only to get an error each time, not sure what was up with that, and heard someone yelling at me. Then a truck/suv pulled up beside him, they talked, not knowing each other but telling each other they were neighbors(weekend lake houses and such). I walked down there and they both jumped right on getting me home...no hesitation whatsoever, kinda like it was simply their responsibility, no if's and's or buts about it.
Coincidence...could be, but my point is, (aside from a probable subconscious need to get all this crap off my chest ) ) if a person truly does the best they can, tries to cover every base and something still goes wrong, maybe *that's* at least one of the times when God steps in..otherwise, he pretty well leaves it up to us. A lot like a good parent would do in trying to teach responsibility. Considering the circumstance, as leery as I am about these things, if I had to say one way or another, I would say at least, the odds are better than not, this was divine intervention. There was no wait, no muss no fuss, they were both right there as soon as I was certain I needed them....within seconds. One said he had forgotten something and he had to come back, and also said he was where he should have been at the right time...as in, there to help me.
Maybe this helps the OP and maybe not but figured since this was about prayer and when God steps in, and when not, or at leas indirectly about that, It might be an interesting point. Not that some didn't already know, but it did teach me something. This is also a lesson on how to trust God, as in, if I do my best, within reason, he may always bail us out. I might say, that hasn't happened that much though? but maybe it just wasn't needed, as we usually handle things ok ourselves, or I didn't do my best at whatever in the past.
Maybe at some point I will, but I won't get into how these breakdowns/all that happened today and having all this on video could directly work together to solve the problem that got me into some of this mess to begin with. I have to wait and see if that happens, but I will say, it's something I have been asking nearly every day of God for a few yrs now...that and maybe one other thing is all I asked for over those years, at least as far as I recall, or unless it was something like get me there and back as happened here, so I don't ask much...we shall see how it goes, and if it pans out to be all one big plan, I'll probably beat a path back here to share it.
Oh, and the bike is no big deal to fix, just getting it/me and the groceries home was the issue. It takes testing to know what design flaws need handling.
