The following story was told at |
Christine
Hallberg had finished shopping and was discouraged to see what time it was.
The southern |
She
gathered her bags in her arms and dug through her purse for her car keys. She
knew she needed to hurry. Her husband, Mike, was home with the boys and would
have been expecting her by now. Walking outside the mall into the dark, cold
parking lot, Christine continued to fumble through the belongings on the
bottom of her purse in search of her car keys. |
Lost in
her search, she did not notice the movement of at least one person very near
her car. |
Finally
her fingers wrapped around her keys and she looked up for her car; the
parking lot was nearly empty. She realized in dismay how far away she had
parked. Glancing around nervously, she picked up her pace. Ten years ago she
might not have worried about her safety in such a situation. But now, in
1991, crime had increased in all parts of |
Suddenly,
a masked man appeared less than ten feet from her window. His eyes were wild and
he was walking toward her, pointing a gun at her, and motioning for her to
open the door. |
Resisting
the urge to panic, Christine ignored the man, locked her door, and tried to
start her car. Nothing happened. The man was nearly at her door; she tried
again, but the engine seemed to be completely dead. |
"Please,
God!" she whispered, just as the man began banging the handle of the gun
on her window. |
Closing
her eyes, Christine tried once more to start the car, and finally, the engine
turned over. In an instant, Christine slammed the car into gear and sped off,
leaving the man in the shadows. |
Christine cried the entire way home, stunned by what
could have happened and baffled by her car's refusal to start the first time.
The car had just been thoroughly inspected and had passed with flying |
colors. |
She turned
her thoughts toward God and thanked Him profusely for helping her out of what
so easily might have been a life-threatening situation. She shuddered as she imagined
what the man might have done if she had been stuck there just a few moments
longer. Especially with the parking lot dark and most of the Christmas
shoppers already gone. |
She pulled
into the driveway of their hillside home minutes later and, still feeling
weak from the ordeal, made her way inside. There she tearfully shared the
incident with her husband. |
"You're
safe now," Mike told her, taking her into his arms. After Christine had
told him the specific details of the incident and what the man had looked
like, Mike called the police. Once that was done, he turned to his wife. |
"Let's
go outside and look at the car," he said. "I can't understand why
it would have done that. The mechanic just checked it out a few weeks ago,
right?" |
"Right,"
Christine said, nodding. |
"I
don't get it," Mike said, grabbing a flashlight and leading Christine
outside toward the car. She watched as he opened the hood. Suddenly he stood
back, allowing the flashlight to drop slowly by his side. He looked stunned, and
Christine looked instantly concerned. |
"What's
wrong?" she asked. |
"It's
impossible," he muttered. |
"What?"
Christine moved closer, looking into the car's engine. |
"There,"
Mike said, pointing the flashlight once more at the engine. "The battery
is gone." |
"What,"
Christine was confused. "How could it be? I just got home." |
Mike
turned slowly toward his wife. "Don't you see? Someone set you up. While
you were shopping, someone took your battery and then waited for you. They
knew you wouldn't be able to start your car and . . ." Mike stopped
mid-sentence imagining what the masked man had intended for his young,
beautiful wife. |
"It's
impossible," he said again. |
"I
don't understand," Christine said. She was more confused than ever, and
terrified at Mike's discovery. She had been set up and somehow escaped being
attacked. "If the battery is gone, how did the car start, Mike?" |
"That's
what I mean. There isn't any way to start an engine like this without a
battery." |
Chills
made their way down Christine's spine and she reached for her husband's hand.
"What are you saying?" she asked softly. |
"I
don't know. I can't explain it. Somehow you made it home without a battery.
It's impossible." |
Suddenly
Christine felt a peace wash over her. "Mike, could it be God was
watching out for me?" |
Mike's
eyes widened and a knowing look came over his face. Slowly, deliberately, he stared
up at the star-covered sky. Christine followed his example, and for several
minutes the couple gazed into the night. Finally, Mike broke the silence. |
"God,
we may never understand what happened tonight," he whispered. "But
we are eternally grateful. Thank you." |
|
From:
ANGELS, MIRACLES AND ANSWERED PRAYERS. (There’s an angel on your shoulder:
Angel encounters in everyday life) Vol 1. Kelsey Tyler. Angel encounters in everyday
life and everyday lives touched by miracles. Pag. 101-104, Guideposts. |