An Angel named Jonathan

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13:2

Ok, maybe not exactly an “on point” scripture for the story I am about to tell, but it will have to do. Yesterday, I met an angel sent by God just for me.

I work an alternate work shift, and as a result, I go into work when most people are on their way home. This usually means that I am going against traffic during my commute to work, but yesterday, due to an accident on one of the major highways in my city, I was travelling in a bunch of unusual traffic. In retrospect, that was a blessing since traffic was slowed to a “normal” pace as opposed to the usual Autobon-like traffic most Atlantans are used to. But I am getting ahead of myself and my story.

About three months ago, I was in a car accident. A minor fender-bender that should have been a quick fix by a mechanic that ended up totaling out our car. Blessed to have a second car, I kept moving forward, but noticed that a “check battery light” was continually lit on my dashboard. I took the car to two mechanics who could not find anything wrong with the battery, but told me to keep an eye on it, and that if I noticed my dashboard lights dimming, I should be careful as it would probably indicate an alternator issue. Shortly after this diagnosis, the light went off and life continued. Until about a week ago, when the light came back on. Mindful of what I was told before, I kept an eye on the dashboard lights, but everything seemed fine, so I kept driving.

Then spring-like weather hit the city of Atlanta. Overnight, temperature soared into the 70s and 80s, which meant air-conditioning became a necessity during my commute to work. Yesterday, as I was driving to work, I turned on the air-conditioning and noticed that the light to indicate it was working did not turn on, and the air was not blowing as cool as normal. I wasn’t overly concerned until I noticed the arrow on my RPM gauge acting kind of funny – flickering back and forth – and then suddenly dropping to zero. Then the speedometer arrow did the same thing. Ok, now I’m getting nervous and start moving toward the right shoulder of the highway. The car is still moving and I’m not really THAT far from work, so maybe I’ll be ok. Right? Wrong. Remember, I said there was an accident ahead. Yeah, traffic slowed to a stop and when I stopped, the car stopped…dead…as a doornail…in the right travel lane…on a major Atlanta highway. NOT GOOD.

But I had my cell phone and help was only a phone call away. I called 911 dispatch, only to be dropped and disconnected before they could get all my information. A second call to the 911 dispatch yielded better results, but no indication of when help would arrive. By now, I’m causing a traffic jam because, since I had no hazard lights or any other way to let motorists behind me know I was in trouble, many of them were coming all the way to the rear end of my car before realizing that I was not moving and then they couldn’t get over into the flow of moving traffic. And can I just say, people can be so mean – I got dirty looks and I think there were even finger gestures … like I wanted to be stuck on I-20 with out proper hazard lights flashing. NOT! And then my cell phone rang. It was the Georgia Department of Transportation…they were trying to send help my way, but couldn’t locate my car on the traffic cameras. Oh joy. By now, I’m more than just a little nervous and probably on the verge of mild hysteria. Phone calls to my mother and my co-workers hadn’t help since their hysteria only fueled my own. Anyway, I’m talking to the DOT representative when I see a tow truck getting off the exit and pulling behind me. Due to his flashing lights, motorists coming up behind me now know that I’m in trouble and are a little kinder as they zoom past me on the way to their destinations.

My angel’s name was Jonathan and he works for a towing company, A Tow located in Alpharetta, GA. He’d just left having lunch with his wife and was on his way to a call of another stranded motorist when he sees my car stopped on the highway. He tells me that as he was exiting to get onto I-20, he wondered why I wasn’t moving when it hit him that I was in trouble. He calmed me down, he called me “ma’am” (yeah, I have a little issue with that!) and then drove me to my uncle’s mechanic’s shop – which “just happened” to be at the same exit off of I-20 as the other stranded motorist he was on his way to help. I told him that he was an angel sent by God to assist me in my time of distress. My uncle told him the same thing when we arrived at his shop. I am sure, when he woke up yesterday morning, he didn’t know he was going to be used by God to be my angel. But I am sure glad that God knew I would need one around 3:00 yesterday afternoon and He sent Jonathan just on time, right on time, just for me.

So, as I said when I started this, my scripture above may not be “right on point”, but I believe there are angels walking among us to do God’s bidding. Maybe there are even times when we are used as angels for God. Just a thought. I’m glad Jonathan was there for me. I hope I can be there for whoever God needs me to be an angel for.

Be blessed.

© 2010 Kristina E. Smith
Wednesday, April 07, 2010