Screaming into mailboxes

I heard the most incredible story at church today from our pastor and I really feel that it's worth sharing.


A man our pastor knows, who is now a strong man of God got saved in the "Christian Movement" of the 60's. We're talking straight out of drug culture and into the light kind of salvation, very powerful and passionate.

Well, shortly after he accepted Jesus into his heart, this man was driving home. Suddenly, he was stricken with the voice of God, telling him to turn immediately in a direction he was not going. The man felt like this was a little crazy, to say the least, but he felt strongly that this command was real, so he took a step of faith and turned. What happened next made him question his sanity temporarily.

As he pulled up to the road he'd been asked to follow, the man got out of his car and wondered what was next. "Open that mailbox and yell into it- Jesus loves you!" Those were his next instructions. Undoubtedly feeling awkward and questioning this motif, the born again hippie screamed of his Lord's love into a mailbox in a silent neighborhood.

Alright, that was weird, the man thought, but there must have been a purpose, right? Before he could contemplate his actions any longer, he was asked again to shout into the mailbox, this time adding at the end "and He died for you." Oh boy, this was getting strange, but why stop here.
"Jesus loves you and He died for you," the man screamed into the open mailbox for the last time.

As he was getting ready to step back into his car, a half dressed man came bursting out his front door and explained that just moments before, he'd had a rope around his neck and he'd intended to kill himself. Only, he told God, if He loved him, he needed to know NOW. Just as this man had said this prayer, he heard the words, "Jesus loves you and He died for you!" echoing throughout his neighborhood and he knew it was a special message just for him.

The request by God to fulfill His part in this situation is blaringly obvious at the end, but to us, mere humans, it seemed  borderline strange in the beginning. This story speaks so clearly to me the message that God always has a plan and a purpose. It is a huge blessing if we are chosen to be tools to carry that out. No matter the perceived oddity, God's requests are always valid and are always to be followed. We aren't always meant to see the bigger picture, perhaps we are just meant to be a part of it.

I know I have passed up probably great opportunities that God has spoken to my heart about that may have changed the course of someone's life for Him. I needed this reminder to be urged to follow His voice, for it is really the only one that matters.