Easter Story: The Night My Father and Older Brother Saved Me

As the Easter season rolls upon us, I am reminded of this true story as told to me by my dear friend, Graeme…

We grew up in a small community where everyone knew everyone and what everyone was doing. While there are some wonderful parts of small-town living- things like love, service, help, and close friendships–there are also many not-so-good things about such a small town. When you make a mistake or do something wrong, all of the town knows about it. This can cause embarrassment and public shame which can seemingly last forever. I remember well the night I made such a mistake. I also remember how I was saved from the embarrassment and humiliation my small town could inflict.

It was the time of the high school formal and this was my senior year. I wanted to participate in this all-important event. I had secured a wonderfully beautiful date, had the perfect suit, and even purchased a simple corsage for my date. Then, I asked my father if I could borrow his car. After what I thought was not enough consideration, he told me no. He said I would have to use the old car. I pleaded with him to let me borrow the nice car, wanting to impress my friends and look cool. Everyone would be talking about the car I was in and how awesome I looked. I begged, but Dad did not give in. How could he do this to me?

The night of the big date came. Unfortunately, so did a pretty severe rainstorm. Because of the weather, all my family was out taking care of our property. So, I did what I should not have done–I took Dad’s nice car. Everything went fine and my date was impressed. She looked incredible in her beautiful dress and we made a handsome couple. Awkwardly, I pinned on her corsage and we headed to the dance. We had an incredible time! The decorations at the school were perfect! The band was great! It was a wonderful way to cap off my senior year.

As all great things do, the dance came to an end. Unfortunately, the rainstorm had not. In fact, the rain had intensified and the streets were flooded. The roads were sloppy and muddy and I could barely see. I raced my date out of the school and to the car and we started to make our way home. The road was slick and treacherous. Admittedly, I was a little concerned, but, in my high school arrogance, I kept going. I was probably not being very careful as I was still trying to impress my date. She was understandably worried about the weather. The only way to get to her home was the muddy and flooded main road out of town. These were small country roads, easily flooded, and dangerous to drive on.

We pushed on for some time. Then, as I rounded a curve on these slick and dirty roads, the car began to slide. I tried to correct it, but in doing so, probably made things worse. Ultimately, the car kept going right off the road into the ditch. We were sunk deep in the mud. We were scared, but alive. I helped my date climb out of the car. By the time we scaled the muddy ditch, her dress was ruined. I really tried to help her, but it was hard and she slipped and fell many times. We both did. Finally, back on the road, we looked back and saw my dad’s car. It was rolled on its side, wedged in the ditch. The weather was so severe all we could do was start heading home, leaving the car like this on the side of the main road through town. So, in our formal, but now ruined attire, we made our way home. I got my date to her house and tried to apologize. She was obviously miserable and the fun of the earlier festivities was now lost. In shame, I hung my head and began to trudge home.

I arrived home some time later, drenched and discouraged. As I slogged home, formal shoes slipping and sticking in the mud, all I could think of was what would happen tomorrow morning. The car was in the ditch on the main road into town. Tomorrow was Sunday, the day everyone in the community would head into town for church. All would see the car there. It would be awful. Soon, everyone would know I took my dad’s car without permission and wrecked it right there. I would be the laughingstock of the town. I would never live this one down. I also had to face my dad and his disappointment. I had messed up. This was a mistake I could never fix. I had disobeyed my father and brought shame upon myself and my whole family. There was nothing I could do to make it right.

To my surprise, my dad was waiting for me when I finally tramped into the house. He was concerned and asked if I was okay. In tears, I told him what I had done and that I was sorry. He asked if my date was okay and then asked me where the car was. As I told him what had happened, he helped me to get warm and dry. He was not angry or upset with me. Then, he helped me upstairs to my room and helped me to bed. He assured me that everything would be okay and we would take care of it. I thanked him, tearfully apologized again for disobeying him, and curled into my bed. All I could think about was how stupid I had been and what ridicule and torment awaited me for my dumb and rebellious behavior. After fitfully tossing around in the bed, sleep finally overcame me and I drifted off.

I woke to a beautiful spring morning. The sun was out. As I gazed out my windows, everything looked clean and fresh after the washout the previous night. I could see the mud-soaked main road, and, in my mind’s eye, the car. Soon everyone would see the car. In just an hour or two, everyone would know what I had done. I tried to think of ways to avoid it, but it is almost impossible to avoid the shame of small town gossip and ridicule. So, I showered and prepared for church. I knew I would be expected to go and dad would accept no excuses. I had messed up and had to face it. After a quiet breakfast with my family, we headed down the road for church.”

As we came around the dreaded corner, I could barely contain myself. Dad and the whole family would finally see what I had done. The whole town would know. There was no hiding it. I got ready to say something as we crept around the corner, but stopped. The car was not there. Confused, I tried to look harder. Maybe in the dark and pouring rain, I had lost my bearings and forgotten where the accident was last night. Yet, as we rounded each turn on the long road to church, I could not find the car. Where did it go? Soon, we arrived at church with me being totally perplexed. Where was the car? I could not understand what happened.

Church was nice. My date was there with a kind smile. We did not speak of what happened. I mumbled an apology and she reached out and squeezed my hand with an “okay-it-was-not-your-fault” kind of look. She seemed to be asking with her eyes if I was all right. I wish I could have asked her if she knew what happened to the car. However, we did not speak of it. No one spoke about it. I knew what had happened, but it seemed like it never happened. I wondered if it was just a bad dream, but knew it was not. After church, the family said goodbye to everyone and headed back down the road to home. Still no car anywhere. When we got out of the car, my dad put his arm around me and walked me to the barn. We walked around the barn, and there was the car! I told my dad I did not understand.

Then, my dad told me he had realized what happened and what I had done. He also knew the whole town would likely be talking about this event for years. He knew I would probably be embarrassed and ashamed of what had happened. He told me he loved me and knew I did not mean to cause any harm. He told me what I had done was very wrong and he was disappointed in me. He reminded me I had taken his car without permission and, in my effort to be liked, had wrecked the car and could have harmed my date. He told me there would be consequences for my actions and I would have to work to get the car fixed. Then, again, he told me he loved me and wanted to move forward.

But what about the car? How did it get here? My dad told me what happened next. He said after putting me to bed, he thought of the car and all the people in the town who would see it. He knew how small towns worked and could predict what would happen. So, he woke up my older brother and asked if he would help. Together, they got the truck and the tractor and headed out to find the car. My older brother climbed down into the ditch and hooked the car up to the chain. Then, he and my dad spent long hours in the rain, pulling the car up out of the ditch and all the way home. I did not know it, but they had just finished cleaning up when I awoke for breakfast. They had stayed up all night getting the car out of the ditch and back home so I would not have to suffer guilt and embarrassment because of my mistakes.

I will never forget the night my father and my older brother saved me. I had made a major mistake, disobeyed my father, wrecked the car, and ruined my date. I have never felt such love as I did when they took action to spare me the pain and ridicule I might have suffered. The love of my father as he forgave me and then asked my older brother to help him save me, affected me profoundly. Their actions saved me from the full consequences of my own disobedience and poor choices. They made it possible for me to move forward, unhindered by what might have happened without their intervention. They saved me. I will be forever grateful for the lessons I learned about the love of a father and older brother that night.

As we celebrate this Easter Season, I pray we will always remember we have a loving Father in Heaven who, with His only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, rescued us from our sins and mistakes. The Savior descended below all things to be able to raise us up and save us. He suffered so we could be saved. Because of our Father’s Love and the Gift of His Son, when we face our mistakes and sins and the ridicule of others, we can know we will awaken to a new and beautiful morning. They paid the price to save us. We are all forever blessed because a Loving Father and a Perfect Older Brother saved us!