Friday, April 15, 2005

Motorcycle Miracle

I have an uplifting story that is worth sharing with the masses. It all started last fall when I sold my prized possession, and ESP Kirk Hammet (lead guitarist for Metallica) signature electric guitar. I bought it for $900 about 4 years ago and I was hoping to get atleast that out of it on eBay. I have plenty of guitars but my wife did not have a piano, so to even the score I wanted to sell a guitar and buy her a nice digital piano. Well the guitar sold for $1900 to my surprise. I bought her a really nice piano and used the left over to buy an old fixer upper motorcycle for $400. I had all winter to work on it so I thought I may be able to sell it for a profit this spring.
After many hours in the garage I had the bike running well. True to my word I put a for sale sign on the bike the day I took it out of the garage for spring riding. I started the price at $1500; that is a win/win price. If it doesn't sell because the price is too high than I get to ride all summer. If it does sell than I make more than I ever thought I would on the bike. That is the motorcycle part of the story, now for the miracle part.

I have been riding the bike for about two weeks now, not long. As the bike was sitting in my front lawn a man pulled up in a big blue truck and wanted to take a look at my 82 Honda CB750K ( are you impressed with my motorcycle lingo?) He said, "I really don't want a bike like this but I am batting it around in my head." he left with very little more said. I went inside and didn't think much of it. The man returned about two hours later and asked to take a test ride. I said sure and handed him a helmet. He was gone for about 15 minutes and when he returned he said he liked it and wanted me to hold it for him. He gave me a deposit of $100 to hold the bike. I told him I was planning to put about another 200 miles on the bike for a weekend trip up north. He said that was fine and he would have the money on Monday when I returned.

I was excited to tell my wife that we made a huge profit on the bike. She quickly grounded me by saying she didn't think I should take the bike up north. She said "Quentin, what if you wreck the bike, what if you get hurt, what if the bike breaks down and you can't sell it. I have a bad feeling about this." I said "Honey, I have been planning this for weeks and I would really like to have a 'last hooray' on the bike". Basically, I was going to take this bike come Hell or high water. Whenever Kasey and I don't agree on big topics like this I suggest a prayer and ask for guidance from the ultimate advisor, God. That night I prayed for some type of answer on the trip, if I should ride the bike or just drive. I figured the ride was less than 24 hours away, anything barring a miracle, I was going to ride it. I fell asleep and woke up at 6:30 in the morning for work. I have to be at work at 7:00am so I have about 15 minutes to get ready. When I went in the kitchen to get a bowl of cereal a big blue truck pulled into the driveway. The sun wasn't even out yet. The man came to my door, he said "I was hoping you would be home, how about I go to the bank and get $1500 in cash and we take care of this thing at lunch today?" I said, "I don't know I have to move some things around". When I paused to think an overwhelming feeling of "the sign" came over me and the words "please give me an answer" rang in my head. I quickly stopped the man from leaving and said, "you get the money, noon will be fine". Never have I received such a blunt sign as that. I am at my house for no more than 15 minutes in the morning. He was simply driving by and saw me in the window, two minutes more in bed and he would have missed me and I would have road up north.

I sought after the Lords counsel and he replied when he knew he had to, at the perfect time.
who knows what would have happened if I took the bike, I could have made it fine, incident free. I guess I will have to trade finding out for $1500, a happy wife, and my safety.

The Lord my not care about motorcycles and the cost, but he does care about families and keeping them together.

2 comments:

kagroo said...

Amen...that was a good one there Q. Many times I find myself talking to myself. I'm not sure if I'm talking to myself or the tub of peanut butter in front of me, but when I ask for signs. Big signs, not signs like, "What should I get to eet?" They present themselves in front of me. They usually aren't as blunt as that one, but whatever does the trick.

It was also a sign that you should always listen to your wife. Remember that.

qhunt said...

Come on Dan, you know I always listen to my wife! :) Thanks for posting a comment, I was feeling like a loser. I may still be one, but atleast i have a comment!!