March 13, 2022

What Barriers?

“There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.” 1 Corinthians 12:5-6

Shortly after I started at GM Engineering Staff, I witnessed yet another reason I really liked being there. We had a draftsman in the department named Harold. He had MS and had difficulty getting around. Our department (vehicle division) was on the 2nd floor and our boss, John Stafford, told Harold he was wanted down in the shop and to go right then. Harold struggled, but he made it.

Unknown to Harold, the department had purchased one of those three-wheeled electric scooters. One of the techs, Jack Ackerly, had installed a bicycle hand brake since Harold could not use the foot brake. When it was presented to Harold, he had tears in his eyes, and probably was not the only one. The scooter was like a new set of legs for Harold. He was free to check what was happening in the shop, and for a while he actually spent a few days there doing drawings.

As a side note, Harold would park the scooter in the garage and plug it in overnight. His wife would drop him off in the morning and pick him up after work. Interestingly, she had some problems too. However, Harold could do what she could not, and she could do what he could not. What a match!

God does work in mysterious ways.

Jack van Becelaere