After receiving Christ over 45 years ago, my life took on new meaning and purpose – plus a sense of direction. Until then, I would have probably been a metallurgist or something akin to that. But after that life-changing experience, God opened for me a brand new world of possibilities.
As many of you know, I became a professional actor, artist, and writer with a concern for my fellow man, especially as it pertains to salvation.
As time went on, even during times of uncertainty, God also gave me the spirit of fearlessness. Sometimes to the point of recklessness abandon. (I enjoy the freedom to be what I’ve become and all with a sense of adventure as well,) able to do things that most others wouldn’t dare do, like sharing Christ openly and without reservation anywhere and anytime with anyone, even helping someone in spiritual distress, or even just picking up hitchhikers – as in “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
And that’s just where I’m headed with this little piece.
In my travels, I once picked up a destitute couple walking alongside the road, not even bothering to hitchhike anymore. They had walked for miles, and no one would stop to help. The women’s feet were blistered and bleeding from the sharp stones and debris along the roadside, and she was crying and hobbling from the pain. For many miles, no one would stop to give the downtrodden couple a ride. I did, taking them to the emergency room at the local hospital.
I also picked up a man on the beach whose feet were blistered and raw. It seems he had come down to sunny Florida to get away from the cold up north, and not having a place to stay, he slept on the beach. The following morning, his shoes were missing, and he went for three days barefoot on the hot sand, occasionally dipping them in the surf to cool off. I could almost feel the agony he was experiencing from the bloody and blistered feet. I bought him something to eat and took him to a homeless shelter where they treated his feet. Then I bought him a cell phone and gave him my number to call if he needed anything. He called to thank me profusely.
I’d decided to go fishing yesterday, but knowing the Naples fishing Pier was closed for repair again due to the last hurricane, I headed toward Marco Island to fish under a huge bridge where I knew there would be a lot of shade since it was getting hotter outside by the moment. Fifteen miles away, there was a huge platform under the bridge waiting for me.
I headed south on Collier Blvd. toward Marco. I had only gone a couple of miles when I spotted a person trudging along the sidewalk carrying a huge, overstuffed backpack. The small person was bent over and was struggling under the load while shifting it. The straps were biting into the person’s shoulders.
I made a vow to myself to never let a person walk in the blazing heat of the Florida sun. So, this had become a habit for me. But because I had gathered speed to get to my destination, I passed the individual and had to make a u–turn when I could find a lane to be able to do so.
In the meantime, the young woman, feeling faint, was crying out to God, “Please, Lord, send someone to give me a ride; I can’t go on any longer; I can barely stand.” The young lady sobbed with tears running down her cherry-red cheeks. She had just broken up with her boyfriend and was on her way to stay with relatives fifteen miles away. “I’m sending an emissary for you… just hold on.”
The girl was about to collapse when I got to her and shouted through the open passenger side window, “Come on; get in here!” while opening the door for her. “Put your backpack behind the seat,” I ordered as I pulled the back of the seat forward.
Reluctantly, she did as I asked, knowing she had no choice. The young lady had a blouse wrapped around her head in a turban fashion to ward off the hot sun. She looked over at me and scrutinized me carefully – this was the first time she had ever taken a ride from a stranger, and the way things were going in this country, she was scared.
To allay her fears, I turned up the radio a bit since I always have it tuned to “oldies but goodies.” There was a soothing song playing something on the order of “Bridge over Troubled Water.” She began to calm down but couldn’t stop staring at me – looking for a clue as to my character and motives.
“I told you I would send someone. Jim is one of my loyal servants; he will do you no harm.”
“Is he an angel?”
“No, he’s just one of my emissaries who tries to be available whenever and wherever I need him.”
At that, the girl looked into my eyes as if peering into my soul. Her clear blue eyes (from crying) were still trying to discern what manner of man I was. She knew man to be cold and calculating. Again and again, she gazed at me in wonder as we made a little small talk. (I tried not to alarm her by trying not to be talkative as we sped down the highway.) Now was not the time to be evangelical as God had already proven Himself to her; that would be enough for today.
I dropped her off at her destination, she thanked me, and we said our goodbyes. Then I continued off for a day of fishing. I would soon be there for a day of fresh air under the breezy and shady bridge but had forgotten that my rod was fractured from slamming it in my tailgate, so when I threw it out, the upper half just flew right off. A young Cuban man had been watching me struggle with the broken rod. He came over and handed me a Penn fishing rod and reel (one of the best) with a high-quality and costly braided line. I was flabbergasted and asked twice, “For me to keep?! Are you sure you want to do this?” He answered yes. I guess the adage holds true, “What goes around comes around.” Better yet, it was God’s way of thanking me for helping the young lady earlier in the day.
I tell these stories not to seek recognition but so that you may see how rewarding it is to serve God and our fellow man. “Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, soul, and mind … [and] thy neighbor as thyself” (see Matthew 22:37-39).
Incidentally, my book titled Visions, Miracles, Peace and Power is rife with personal stories such as these and much more, and it is now available on eBooks. It can now also be found on YouTube!!!
YBIC
Jim Towers
Write me at jt.filmmaker@yahoo.com or visit me at www.dropzonedelta.com. Or my own new and updated website, www.propheticsignsandwonders.com.