Today wasn’t a typical Friday. I had to take my son, a junior in high school, to the rehearsal for graduation because he was the honor guard for his department. On my way back, I also wanted to return some items at Office Depot that I forgot to return the day before. In short, I normally would not be driving on the 210 Freeway on this day of the week and at this time of the day.
As I was getting ready to exit the freeway to go to Office Depot in Upland, I started moving to the right lane and I saw an old brown van in front of me with a very wobbly rear right tire. I thought maybe it has one or two loose nuts and pondered what I should do. Though highly unlikely, that tire may fly off and cause an accident. An urge in my head tells me to do something. So I pulled to the front of that van, turned my hazard lights, and stuck my hand out of the window to signal to the guy to get out. But that driver likely thought I was telling him that I need to exit so he ignored me. I mean, I would have assumed the same. Not wanting to ignore my urge, I moved along side him, rolled down my passenger-side window, and he looked at me as I yelled, “Check your tire.” He apparently heard it and pulled over. I could not pull over fast enough and it was my exit so I exited the freeway. But I felt I need to check on him, and so I went back on the freeway in the other direction, and turned back at the next exit so I can pass his van which pulled over to the side. But when I drove by, he was not there anymore. Maybe he checked and figured out everything was OK. So I exited again and proceeded to my destination which is a shopping plaza next to the freeway.
As I pulled into the parking lot, I saw that van again, and the driver was already putting a jack under the front right tire. I went over to him, introduced myself as the guy who signaled him, and told him it was the rear tire that was wobbly. The driver is an auto mechanic and he has all the tools in the van so he should be OK. He said he bought the van recently and found all kinds of problems afterwards, and this might just be another undiscovered flaw. He started to move the jack to the rear and I left for Office Depot.
I saw the van again on my way out. The driver finally pulled the rear right tire out and we were shocked. The inner side of the tire was peeling off. He said it seems to be over-inflated and would have blown in a few miles. We started to chat as he continued to check the tire. Then he found a nail in the tire. That puncture was causing the leak so he filled it with more air before he left this morning, and apparently he filled too much. He said his van is so heavy with his tools that had the tire blown, the rear would likely hit the road and cause massive damage to the van or a major accident.
I asked if he has a spare. He said he bought one just two days ago so he can change the tire and go.
He lives in Glendora and was going to the DMV in Rancho Cucamonga because he couldn’t find the DMV in Pomona. So this was a trip that’s out of his usual routine for him too. I told him that this was an unusual trip for me too and it must be the providence of God that I saw his van. He is a Christian also and believes that God must be intervening and he thanked me for following that urge to help him.
I soon left because I had to go home and work. As I drove home, I realized all the things that must have happened for us to meet up on the 210 Freeway that morning at the exact location where I could see his wobbly tire:
- My son got chosen to be honor guard and we had to go to that rehearsal for a graduation that’s not his own. He was chosen by the school weeks ago. Because the choice was based on his grades, this process really started three years ago.
- I got the wrong products from Office Depot three days ago due to an error in their listing, which may have been put on their website months ago.
- I forgot to return the wrong items the day before so I wanted to do it today on my way back. Otherwise, I would be driving in an inner lane and not the right lane.
- He lost his driver license presumably in the last few days so had to go to a DMV office.
- He could not find the DMV in Pomona so had to go to the one in Rancho Cucamonga. This is by far the weirdest thing – how can someone not find a place in this age with smartphones? Maybe he doesn’t have a smart phone?
- Of course, the timing had to be perfect or else I could never see his car.
All these things had to happen in the months, weeks, and days beforehand for me to meet him that day at the exact time. When there are too many coincidences and the whole thing seems miraculous, I call it God’s providence.
But I still have to do one thing – I have to follow that urge in my head. Otherwise, I would continue to drive on and he would have a major accident.
I felt God was trying to tell me something. Just the day before, due to some stressful situation, I was wondering if I’m on the right terms with God. God may be telling me that everything is under His control, just like how He engineered all these incidences in order for me to meet that van today. And that I should not ignore the little urges He puts in my head. It may just make a huge difference for me or another person. Isn’t life with the Lord exciting?!
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