Homegrown Journal

Several years ago, our son Travis transferred from working with Transportation Security Administration at the Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri to Durango, Colorado. From there, he found a better position with TSA in Las Vegas.

Or so he thought.

words + photographs SARAH TYLER

It wasn’t long until we began receiving help calls from him in distress. Las Vegas is not the homegrown town he grew up in. He wanted so badly to come back to the Springfield airport, and his homegrown town.

Our hearts broke to help him. I know many loving parents understand this. Arrangements were made to get him back to his roots after many prayers and tears. He never left our hearts.

As my husband, Lanty, flew into the mammoth Las Vegas airport, our son met him there with great eagerness. Travis took Lanty to the apartment complex in which he had been living.

When he could speak in private, I received a phone call from my husband. He was in tears. Lanty compared the complex to the biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. “I can hardly wait to get Travis out of here,” he said. See, our son was raised in church. He knew Jesus as his Savior, and he was aware this was not the atmosphere he grew up in.

I know parents can relate to a hurting child. We want to do all we can within our power to come to a child’s aid, whether he is two or 52.

Jesus is like that, you know? When we have Jesus in our hearts, knowing He died to pay the penalty of our sins, we can always count on Him to come to our recue. There is no greater love than the love of Jesus. That’s why a loving parent who knows the love of Christ has a different view of a hurting child. Jesus feels our pain and is in that pain right along with us. Scripture says Jesus knows what it is like to suffer, and He knows our pain (Galatians 5:1).

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They were tired, drenched in sweat, and just didn’t know what they were going to do.

Lanty and Travis rented a small moving trailer to pull behind Travis’ SUV. I don’t know if you are aware, but it can be miserably hot in Vegas. They were careful to arrange all items perfectly in the trailer. They sweated and laughed, hugged many times, and even cried together. Finally, all was in the trailer except for our son’s motorcycle.

They had left the motorcycle for last, but they thought they were leaving enough space to somehow get it on the trailer at the very end. They looked for a ramp-type of area in the complex so they could roll it up into the trailer. To no avail, this just wasn’t going to happen.

They were tired, drenched in sweat, and just didn’t know what they were going to do.

Now for the miracle.

Out of the clear blue, no one around anywhere, they heard a voice. “Do you guys need some help?”

BUT GOD!

Two muscle-bound, big, strong men walked up and said, “Let’s put that motorcycle into that small space left in the trailer.” That’s just what they did. It went in with the help of these two men. My husband reached into his pocket to pull out money to give for their help. But, there were no men. They had quickly vanished.

Both my husband and our son walked all around the trailer and the vehicle, but — I’m telling you — there were no two men anywhere. How do we explain that? It was a miracle.

I do not have the words to describe when God does a miracle. Only God would be able to do what no man can do. Psalm 108:12 says, “Give us aid against the enemy, for human help is worthless.” God moves the immovable. Changes the unchangeable. God does miracles.

You can imagine the praise from both father and son as they shut the back door of that trailer and knew their hard, mentally and physically exhausting work had been accomplished.

I have seen several other miracles throughout my life as I have traveled this fallen world, but this will be one we can remember as a family, with no hesitation God is our God. He is the maker of the heavens and earth. He is worthy to be praised, and I sing, “You deserve the glory, and the honor, I lift my hands in worship, and I bless your Holy name. You are great. You do miracles so great; there is no one else like you. Lord, there is no one else like you.” (“You Deserve the Glory” by Aaron Keyes.)

Praise the Lord. Let the earth give Him praise. He does miracles so great. There is no one else like Him. ST

Sarah Tyler is a local, published author who lives in Springfield, Missouri. She is the mother of two grown sons, a grandmother to a genius 8-year-old grandson, and wife to her husband of 57 years. Sarah sings in her church choir and ministers in the church prayer room. She loves writing encouraging blogs and offers them free to read on her website at www.sarahtylerauthor.com.

Purchase Sarah’s books on Amazon: My Christian Journey Through a Fallen World, Suicide, and From My Heart, I Give You Jesus, a 30-day devotional.

COVER Sarah Tyler with her husband, Lanty.

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