Aselin

A few months after moving to our new home I heard a talk in church that gave me pause. It was a thought provoking moving talk advocating living by the Spirit. As I listened to the speaker I realized that I pretty much ‘winged’ my life by my own devices. Thus far, I’m not sure that method has been a stellar success. The points made by the speaker motivated me to want to try harder at using the power of the Holy Ghost as a prescient guide.

I spent the following day, Monday, trying my best to be sensitive to its promptings. I suppose I have more grandiose ideas about the life I live because it’s was quite hard to see large purpose and inspiration in my trips to the dry cleaner, supermarket and gas station. A number of times during the day I had a seemingly one way conversation with Deity declaring that I was listening, only to receive a static response.

Certainly I don’t yet have finely developed spiritual sensitivities.

That evening, hubby had a dinner meeting so I took advantage of the night off and fed the kids at Taco Bell. Driving home I felt a strong prompting, to turn into a neighborhood I had not yet explored. I mentally shrugged at the idea that I was kind of reaching, but it was a prompting so I was going with it. Since we had no time constraints for the evening I was curious to learn more about the area where I now lived.

Winding through the streets the dog, kids and I enjoyed the mini tour, and finally found ourselves intersecting with a familiar main street.

The sun was setting and the street lamps were beginning to light. Before I pulled onto the main street I noticed two women in the median, standing outside of their cars. Taking a moment to survey the situation I realized one of the women had hit a large blonde dog. Both were standing over the dog, emotional, flustered and blocking oncoming traffic that was swerving dangerously around them and the dog. I told the kids to stay in the car and approached the women.

With cars were diverting around them and the nature of the busy street, the waning light put them in a precarious position. Neither woman knew what to do, not wanting to leave the dog.

I’m a left-brainer by nature. Immediately I took over, telling the women to get in their cars and pull into a nearby parking lot. I then stopped the lanes of oncoming traffic, lifted the dog by it’s legs and carried its lifeless body over to the sidewalk. The dog had no collar, and animal control was closed for the night. At this point I wasn’t sure what to do, but had moved everyone to safety and felt OK leaving them to sort things out.

Suddenly a van pulled up onto the sidewalk a man jumped out, let out a heartbreaking gasp and knelt by his dog. The van door flung open and a boy of about eight years old came sobbing out. The women were in tears, the owners of the dog were in tears, I was in tears. I held the young boy as the man assessed his deceased pet. He lifted the animal in his arms and I ran ahead to the van to help prepare room. He gently laid the animal on the floor, and wordlessly he and his son got inside and drove away.

I turned to the ladies and offered a few words of comfort. We quietly disbanded. I returned to my van where my own aghast children had witnessed the whole scene.

I was so profoundly sorry for the family I couldn’t gain my composure for a few minutes. We all returned home, hugged our dog and said a prayer for the comfort of the mourning family and the woman who had hit the dog.

The sickening sadness was overwhelming.

Later that night I lay in my bed feeling frustrated I had followed my “prompting.” That whole scenario was a crappy experience. Laying on my side in bed I wept.

Much later that night I awoke, and had some quiet time to reflect. The whole experience dominated my thoughts. As strongly as the earlier prompting had been came the clear realization that He needed me to be with those people. By following my prompting I had not only gotten the women out of harms way, but kept the dog’s body in tact. Not many people would have been willing and able to carry the dead dog, and while coming upon their dog was horrible, had the dog remained in its place it would have been run over repeatedly, likely mangling its corpse. Moving the dog allowed his family to grieve more gently.

I was hoping for some profound spiritual experience. Instead I received direction to get in the emotional trenches. To serve, protect and comfort strangers. Exactly what the Lord repeatedly asks us to do. Too often we’re not listening to the promptings.

I wouldn’t recognize any of the people if I saw them again. But I’m deeply grateful I was able to help them. I prayed for them for days, and yes, the experience has made me more sensitive to promptings of the Spirit.