Love's lesson on an RV trip
Can you picture an adventurous grandmother sitting by the side of the road next to her brokendown motor home? That was the picture I feared as I contemplated traveling to another state to attend a camping festival. My husband and I had loved going to these festivals for many years in our 24-foot comfortable motor home. He had recently passed away, but our vintage RV, “Jambo,” still served the rest of the family for camping weekends.
For the upcoming festival, none of the family could take a week off to go with me. There was a convoy from a local organization going to the festival, and I could count on a passenger to ride in the seat next to me, but I thought I would be the only one experienced enough to drive the heavy rig for 200 miles.
I prayed for guidance to help make a decision whether or not to take the trip. As I’d learned from Christian Science, I knew that I could never travel out of divine Love’s, God’s, sight. But I still feared a mechanical breakdown and wondered if I had the stamina to drive the distance. There would be some dirt roads and steep hills into the festival site. But the joy of being there still beckoned. It was always uplifting to enjoy the forest surroundings, music events, and fellowship.
My prayers built some momentum. The fear abated somewhat, but I still knew I hadn’t yet given up my uneasiness. Lingering doubts suggested “Yes, but…” as I struggled to accept the spiritual facts of my complete safety and security. I loved the comfort given in Psalm 91 that God provides our safety and we can trust Him. Also, I was reassured by Christ Jesus’ teaching that the kingdom of heaven, harmony, is within me—within my ability to experience (see Luke 17:21).
At last the answer came. It was a promise that completely blew away all my doubts. It was Mary Baker Eddy’s assurance: “Remember, thou canst be brought into no condition, be it ever so severe, where Love has not been before thee and where its tender lesson is not awaiting thee. Therefore despair not nor murmur, for that which seeketh to save, to heal, and to deliver, will guide thee, if thou seekest this guidance” (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, pp. 149–150). So that meant to me that wherever I could be, even if I was sitting by the side of the road with a broken down vehicle, Love would be keeping me safe and waiting with a “tender lesson.” So now I had my answer. How could I ever refuse Love’s tender lesson, no matter when or where I learned it?
Love cares for each of us in just the way that we need.
The day came when I joined the convoy to the camping festival. For the first leg of the trip an old friend came along as a passenger. We all stopped for lunch at a restaurant. My friend joined her husband for the next leg of the trip, and a new passenger from our group joined me. She was a college student whom I hadn’t met before. She thanked me for letting her ride along. As we drove on, and the heat rose into the 90s (no air conditioning), she told me about herself. She had a part-time job driving a school bus. A school bus! Just the relief driver I needed. She knew how to drive a vehicle nine feet tall and how to turn corners carefully. We stopped for gas, and she offered to take over the driving.
She drove the rest of the way. The temperature climbed to 100. There were long detours because of road construction, and the festival campground wasn’t where we expected it to be. A very trying trip, but my passenger was untiring and cheerful. You might say she was my “angel.” Everyone enjoyed the festival. On the way back I had another passenger who offered to take the wheel if I needed her to. The weather had cooled and we found a smoother route home, so I drove the RV all the way back with joy and confidence.
Love’s tender lesson was waiting for me that day. I learned that Love cares for each of us in just the way that we need. And I didn’t end up learning this sitting by the side of the road!