RAILROAD CROSSING

This is a small town.  Just a dot, barely visible from outer space.  BUT it is our town and we have a railroad crossing that needs fixed – fixed NOW!!  This crossing is on one of our main streets.  We have side streets, but to get through town we use Wayne Street, Market Street, Main Street, and 9th Street.  9th Street leads to our Jr/Sr High Schools and is heavily traveled by school buses, students driving to school, and all the parents taking their kids to school for ball games, and all those other school activities.  9th Street has the honor of having the worst railroad crossing in town.  Buses crawl over it and, with each bounce, students tuck their heads down so they don’t hit the roof.  Cars try to angle across it, but that does not help either.  Coming in from the one side street causes drivers to stop and check their insurance to see if suspensions are covered or if they will have to pay to have the car’s alignment fixed – again.

Apparently, the town has tried to get the attention of those that have the power to authorize a fix.  Nothing!  Apparently, a few people have called to complain.  Nothing!  Until a few days ago.

A lady approached me in the coffee shop.  Luckily, I had enough coffee to be coherent as she gave us slips of paper with the number for the railroad company, the number of the crossing, and requested we flood them with complaints.  I love a good cause and posted the information on my Facebook page and another page I manage.  I then dialed that number.  No answer.  Tried again and now the calls were being forwarded to a different number and voice mail.  I called a corporate number and had in my possession another number to try.  I finally talked to a real person and found out the office had been flooded with calls.

Excuses, of COVID restrictions, no repair crew in the area, and no record of the town contacting us, were given.  BUT because of all the calls, someone finally took the crossing information to a manager.  Guess what!!  They are going to do a fix on the crossing until a full repair can be made.  This did not happen because of one person.  It happened because the town manager, the town board, and members of the community worked toward the same goal.

As I was thinking about this, I wondered what would happen if Christians prayed for our country – our world – as hard and as united as the people who made calls about a railroad crossing.  Our prayers do not have to wait on someone to listen to their voice mail or for a manager to be informed or for the problem to be passed up the chain until it reaches someone with enough power to change the situation.  

What would happen if every Christian said, “Lord, we lift up this country, this world.  Please heal the hurts and the divisions.  Please open our minds and give us wisdom.  Please touch our eyes so we can see others with the love of Christ.  Please replace our fear with hope and our anger with calm.  …….

God hears!  God listens!  God is the power!

It is time all Christians lift up this country, this world, and humbly request God to hear our prayers and heal our land.  What would happen if all Christians worked toward the same goal?  And isn’t that what we supposed to be doing?