Why, God?

Did you ever ask God why something bad happened to you?  I think we've all been there at least once, and many of us have been in that predicament numerous times.  Tonight I've been thinking about the talents and gifts God has given me and thanking Him for them.  Then I began to wonder when it was that I knew I had these gifts, as I had never experienced them before I knew Him as my Savior.  Let me explain.

On February 26 of 1981, I was working second shift at Frigidaire in Greenville.  My husband worked first shift and our son was 4 years old.  Each day, I would load my son in the car about 2:45 p.m., head a couple of miles east to pick up my step-daughter who also worked there, and then meet John in the parking lot to give him Brandon and touch base on what had happened during the day.  I would then go on into work and John would come back home with Brandon.

Well, on one particular balmy day as I picked up Valerie and pulled back out into the road, I looked in my rearview mirror and saw a car EXTREMELY close to the back of my car.  There couldn't have been more than 12 inches between our cars!  I said "Look at that fool," and Valerie turned around to look.  She got a horrified look on her face and said, "Oh my God, it's Pat!"  Pat was her husband; they were in the midst of an ugly divorce proceeding.  She went on to say "He's going to kill me!"

I immediately slowed the car to about 40 mph and determined I'd lead Pat straight to the police station.  About that time, he pulled his car out around mine to pass.  As the back of his car drew even with the front of mine, he leaned over and pointed a gun out of the passenger window, aiming it straight at us.  I didn't think; I just reacted.  I pulled into a driveway that was right there.  Valerie pulled Brandon out of the seat and onto the floor behind my seat.  We both rolled up the windows (remember it was very warm...in the 60s that day).  Pat ran to the passenger side of my car, pulled the gun to his shoulder and standing about 6 inches from the door and with an ugly, smiling smirk, shot Valerie twice through the window.  As she slumped over in the seat, he headed back to his car that he had left running in the middle of the road and I fought to get out of the car, grab Brandon and get to the door of the house where we were.  Of course, there was no one home.

I got back into the car and returned the way I had come; I'm not sure why, other than that there was another girl from Frigidaire that lived directly across the road from Valerie's house and I knew she'd be home getting ready for work.  Needless to say, Valerie died that day.  She never regained consciousness, which I am thankful for, as she didn't experience the pain of the wound and the mental agony either.  I could not really describe Pat or the car to the policeman, but Brandon was able to give a complete description to the police and they caught him several hours later that night.  He went to trial and was found guilty and sent to prison.  One of the hardest things I've ever done was to look him in the eye and indicate that he was the one I had seen pull the trigger.  He died in prison last summer.  This might not be a Christian thing to say, but I was greatly relieved.  I had tried in my heart to forgive him over all of those years, but I'm not sure I was sincere.  I was always concerned that he would be paroled and come looking for Brandon and me, as we were the witnesses that put him behind bars (well, not exactly...it was his own evilness that did that).

At this time in my life, I didn't go to church and didn't know Jesus Christ as my personal Savior.  Oh, I truly believed in God, in Jesus, and in the Holy Spirit, but it was all head-knowledge.  I didn't have a relationship with the God of this universe.  About four years later, I walked in the door of Victory Baptist Church (a small church about 4 miles from my home) and have been there ever since.  I gave my heart to Christ on June 2, 1985 and have determined to serve Him and glorify Him in all I say and do (even though I do fall far short from that goal on many days).

As I grew in my faith, I recalled many times what had happened several years before and truly felt that God had not orchestrated that event, but that Satan had.  I believe God used what Satan had planned for evil and brought good out of it in my life.  I developed a lasting relationship with Jesus, gained a faith in Him that I could trust in, and learned that I had been blessed with talents and gifts that God wants me to use to glorify Him.  Two of those gifts involve the ability to organize and lead others and also the ability to teach others. 

As I learned to use the gifts God has blessed me with, my life changed for the better.  I reached out into uncharted waters at the factory where I worked and became a trainer and later the training manager for the plant.  I went back to college and completed my Bachelor and Master degrees.  I applied for and was hired as the Director of Workforce Development for the local community college where I worked for 12 1/2 years.  Last fall, I started my own business and I am currently the Executive Director of Leadership Montcalm, a non-profit that helps develop leaders in the community and educates and improves the skill base of those who are already in leadership roles.

I truly do not believe that I would be where I am at today, if February 26, 1981 had been an ordinary day like any other.  I believe I would have continued on thinking I would go to heaven because I was a good and kind person.  How wrong I was!  Not only have I had the opportunity to lead an interesting, exciting life here on earth, but I am assured that I will spend my eternity in the presence of Jesus because I have accepted the free gift of salvation that He offered to me. 

Have you?

Until we meet again,

Leslie

Gettin' Your Red Flannels On!

Yep, it's October and it's time to dig out those red flannels!  And let it be known that Cedar Springs, MI is Red Flannel Country!  Everyone here has to have red flannels.  A couple of years ago, my son bought them for himself, his wife and all of his kids.  Of course, the kids have outgrown theirs, but Brandon still sports his.  In fact, this is Red Flannel weekend and he wore his (along with a pair of jeans) as he took the kids to the parade this afternoon.

I love this time of year!  September and October are my two favorite months.  I can't handle the heat of summer, but fall, oh yes!  It is perfect weather.  I love the smell of the leaves, the wind, the cooler temps.  The kids raked leaves this week and jumped into piles.  How I remember those days too.

So, this is short and sweet tonight.  Here is a picture of Brandon in his red flannels (taken a year or so ago during winter).

Till we meet again,

Leslie Anne