The Trucker & The Church Bus
It was a beautiful Sunday morning and a trucker was on his way to deliver a load of gravel with his dump truck. The trucker came upon a hill and he had to stop. Anyone that knows anything about trucking knows it is hard to start and to stop a loaded diesel truck on a steep hill. This driver was none to pleased to have to make such an abrupt stop, especially when he saw what had stopped in front of him, a church bus! He recognized the bus and knew of the church the bus was from. He then cursed the bus and the church's pastor! Then fuel was added to his fury when he saw a little girl with a McDonald's Happy Meal in her hand get off the bus. He cursed again and accused the pastor of using any gimmick to get kids to come to his Sunday school. As he watched the little girl walked up the path to a run down house. He recognized the child. He knew her parents. But that made no difference; he had to keep on trucking! He then put his truck in gear, and passed the Church bus, cursing again because he had been delayed.
But the rest of his day was a good trucking day, no more delays, and no more church buses. At last, the trucker made it home, walked into his house, sat in his easy chair, and turned on the television to watch the local news. While he listened he felt like his heart would burst at the words he was hearing. Nearby there had been a house fire, a little girl and her family had died in the flames. He knew exactly where it was! It was the house where he had earlier been delayed. He wept uncontrollably!
That day of trucking changed the driver's life forever. The following Sunday he went to the church that he had cursed the week before, and there went to the altar and gave his life to Jesus. From that day until the day he died he supported the bus ministry, and gave his all to see that no child that wanted to go to Sunday school was ever denied, and yes, he helped buy the McDonald's Happy Meals hoping to bring a little joy into a heart of some kid. He never again stopped on a steep hill, that he wasn't reminded of that Sunday many years ago that he was delayed, while a little girl from Sunday school walked into his heart forever.