On February 13, 2019, I took my chainsaw and cut up some large branches that had broken off some big fir trees in the turn-out area of our lot. They were blocking the way for deliveries, the trash truck, etc. My intention was to cut the branches into smaller rounds to burn in our fireplace once the weather cleared up.
Well, early the next morning my wife, Laurie, heard a chainsaw out front! Low and behold, some burly, 6’3″ guy with a Stihl 30-inch chainsaw was cutting up our wood and putting it into the back of his truck!
I was a little “peeved” (to put it mildly!) and rushed up to him, signaling to him: “Stop cutting!” Once he stopped, I said I appreciated him attempting to clean up the area (although I doubted that was his goal) and then said “That’s our wood!”
He gave me the “song-and-dance” reason that the wood was on state property therefore he was entitled to it. I explained we had an easement, granted by the county (I won’t attempt to explain the “whys” of the easement) and so the trees were technically ours!
Well, he insisted it was state property and told me several times to “Go back to your old lady” in the house (referring to Laurie). As you can imagine, that didn’t sit real well with me; fact is I was seething inside! He tossed several more rounds he’d cut up into the back of his big 4X4 truck as I’m telling him, “You’re taking this wood without my blessing!”
He then began to slowly make his way toward the cab of his pickup, continuing to comment about his “right to the wood.” Suddenly, a burst of confidence — an awesome sense of God’s presence — came over me and I blurted out, “You’d better get out of here before lightning strikes!”
He apparently got the message — and was gone within 10 seconds of that warning!
I’m not good at confrontations; I felt at a loss for words — but I truly believe the Lord intervened on my behalf and scared the heck out of this guy! Never saw him again!
Of course, I pondered our exchange afterward; the devil tried his best to beat me up with accusations like: “Oh, nice witness Chuck. What if he discovers you are a Christian — a pastor no less?!”
“If you were truly filled with the Holy Spirit you’d have handled things much more effectively!”
Thankfully, we know that, “There is no truth in him for he is a liar and the father of lies” John 8:44.
Perhaps a more gentle-but-firm approach would have been more Christlike. But then again, Jesus was no milquetoast; neither was Paul! The goal I believe is to not allow any person or problem to dictate how we feel. If we go into an encounter with our feelings bridled by the Holy Spirit, the outcome might surprise us. Maybe I’ll try that sometime!