Why does nobody talk about praying in a truck stop chapel

I was stuck at a Pilot outside of Flagstaff, Arizona about three weeks ago. My alternator went out at 3 in the morning and I had a load of produce that needed to hit a warehouse by noon. I sat down in that tiny chapel room, mostly just to get away from the diesel smell and my own bad mood. Nothing dramatic happened out there but I finally stopped trying to solve the problem myself and just sat there for like 20 minutes. A mechanic happened to be passing through an hour later and got me rolling again. Has anyone else had a moment where you gave up completely and then something just worked out?

2 comments

2 Comments

wren2179d agoMost Upvoted

Actually I kind of have to disagree with you here. People talk about truck stop chapels all the time, at least among the drivers I know, they just don't make a big deal out of it because it's such a normal part of the road life. I think your story is nice and all but the way you frame it makes it sound like some magical thing when really you just got lucky with a mechanic passing through, which happens plenty without a chapel involved.

irishenderson9d ago

Oh man, I used to totally roll my eyes at that kind of stuff too, @wren217. I figured truck stop chapels were just for people trying to look holy or something, you know? But then I had my own little moment last winter near the Colorado border. My rig's brakes started acting up on a downgrade and I pulled into the nearest lot shaking like a leaf. I stumbled into their tiny chapel room just to sit still for a minute, and I couldn't help but ask for help under my breath. Not saying God personally fixed my brakes or anything, but that quiet minute really changed how I see those little rooms. You might be right that it's lucky timing with the mechanic, but I think letting go of control first made a real difference for me.