“A Thumbs Up!”

Have you ever watched those “Gladiator” medieval movies where they put the good guy in the arena with the “devil from hell!” Usually, the good gladiator is getting beaten half to death, and he is about to get killed and he looks at the king, who gives a “thumbs up!” The guy’s life is spared! He has been beaten half to death and fought a good fight, but he had gone in against a deadly enemy, and there was no chance he would win.

I never thought much about the sign of the “thumbs up,” until Bobby and I were recently in a nightmare of an attack. We had some business in the states and had to leave and were returning to Haiti. The “Papaya Gang,” was at large near Croix des Bouquet, which is the big town between the Haitian airport and us. Nelio, our Haitian administrator knew it would be “very dangerous” for our driver to pick us up and go back through Croix des Bouquet and on to Fond Parisien. He told our driver to pick us up at the airport in our “ambulance,” thinking that the dangerous gangs would never stop an ambulance. The windows of the ambulance were frosted halfway up so you could not normally see in, unless you were a giant, or, unless you were “jumping up and looking down” inside the ambulance, from the outside.

When we came through Croix des Bouquet, we met with burning roadblocks, savages with guns, rocks, and extreme hatred! We backed up and tried to go the “back roads,” but every which way we turned, it was blocked. We were surrounded by gangs, angry gangs, who had “big guns,” “big rocks,” and “big knives!” They began jumping up to see “who was in the ambulance” and when they saw us, they demanded we get out! One of our drivers said, “Those people are not rich… they are missionaries.” He began talking to this mob, and we honestly thought we were going to die! One gang leader jumped up high, looked inside, and gave us a “thumbs up!” Oh, Hallelujah!!! The road parted like the Red Sea, and off we went, faster than a speeding bullet!

We have all sinned and come short of the Glory of God! And even though we deserve the death penalty, Jesus has looked down through His blood and has given us a “thumbs up!” “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

You can be thankful today that Jesus stood there in the “lion’s den” with you, and gave you a “thumbs up!” Have a great day!

Sherry