There once was a young boy that loved speed whether it was a motorcycle or a car. He would jump on his motorcycle with no shirt, no shoes, and no helmet. There were times that he would attempt to outrun the police, but unfortunately for him, he ran out of gas and got caught. This all started when he was 14 years old. Throughout the next several years, there were multiple motorcycle accidents and multiple broken bones. He would wake up in the hospital not knowing who he was, where he was, or how he got there.  

This boy never liked school and actually began to hate school around the middle school years. By the time he got to high school, it just seemed like a waste of time. He did not enjoy socializing because of the diversity between blacks and whites. He was friends with both and could not seem to find his place. He did not believe he was learning anything in school. He struggled through high school until the 11th grade and then dropped out. 

He went to work selling pest control chemicals in the afternoons. The owner’s wife enjoyed soap operas and did not want to be bothered with customers while she was watching them. They hired him, so she could watch her soap operas uninterrupted.

Every day, the young man would pass a junior college on his way to work. He thought this would be a good way to meet people, specifically girls. He started junior college without a high school diploma or GED. It was never questioned whether or not he had one. He worked in the pest control business and took classes. The second quarter he met a girl. She asked him what he was studying, and what he wanted to do as a career. He had just read an article about the highest paying jobs with a four-year degree and electrical engineering was at the top of the list. Trying to impress this young lady, he told her he was pursuing a degree in electrical engineering. This young high school dropout started the tract for pre-engineering without even putting any thought into it.

After two years at the junior college, he was wondering what would be next. He realized he wanted to do something more than sell pest control for the rest of his life. He had saved some money so he started considering a four-year college. He checked out Georgia Tech because they were the only school in Georgia with an engineering program. He quickly realized he did not want to live in Atlanta. One of his teachers at the junior college was an Auburn graduate. The teacher talked about how great Auburn was every day. This inspired him to drive to Auburn and look around the campus. He immediately knew this was the place for him. He registered, was accepted, and began the process to move there.

This young 20 year old could not afford an apartment or dorm so he found a small plot of land at the edge of the Tuskegee National Forest. He bought a trailer in Georgia because it was cheaper than buying one in Auburn. He drove back and forth from Middle Georgia to Auburn for days to prepare the land. All by himself, he cleared a driveway and a place for the trailer to sit using an ax and a machete. He got a pole put up for power and the trailer wired for electricity, but the city would not turn on the electricity until a septic tank and bleeder line were placed. Unfortunately, classes started before he could get this done. He would go to classes, come home and work until dark digging for the septic tank and digging a 200 ft trench for the bleeder line. He would go to campus to take a shower and use a kerosene lamp at night to do his homework. This took 2 weeks of grueling, physical labor to get the septic tank and bleeder line dug and then the electricity and water hooked up.

He had still not figured out how he was going to pay for everything. He just happened to hear about the Co-op program. He applied immediately and was offered a job with Georgia Power starting the very next quarter. He would go to Auburn to take classes in the summer and winter and work at Georgia Power in the fall and spring. With this schedule, he was never able to attend an Auburn football game the four years he was there. He made it through and in 1989 he graduated with a degree in electrical engineering. He then went on to earn his master’s degree from The University of Alabama in Huntsville. 

If you have not figured this out yet, this young boy, who went from a high school dropout to earning a master’s degree in electrical engineering, is my husband, Lionel. It is only by God’s grace that this young boy made it. I think this is an incredible story of God’s sovereignty and faithfulness. 

Lionel now sees God’s sovereignty over and over again throughout those years. Here are just a few examples of the Lord’s sovereignty in his young life. 

•  The Lord was with him and protecting him during the numerous motorcycle accidents. It is a miracle that he survived them. 
• The fact that he was able to get the job selling pest control because the owner’s wife wanted to watch soap operas was amazing. This allowed him to attend junior college and continue to work. 
• Just being accepted to the junior college without a high school diploma or GED was almost unbelievable, but God had His hand on Lionel.
•  He thought he was just nonchalantly telling the young lady at junior college that he was studying electrical engineering, when the Lord was setting the stage.
• The Lord gave Lionel the strength and perseverance to prep the land and get the trailer set up. He says some of that was young pride, arrogance and stubbornness because he was not willing to be a failure. 
•  Being accepted to the Co-op program and finding a job that he could start the very next quarter when he was out of money was perfect timing. The Lord’s timing is always perfect whether we realize it or not.
•  Lionel had just enough money to make it through the four years. Philippians 4:19 says “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus”.

The Lord was faithful in carrying Lionel from a high school dropout to the man he is today. These hard life lessons have served Lionel well in life. He is a man of great Godly character. Perseverance, determination, endurance, and self-discipline are just a few. It is through trials in life that the Lord grows and matures us. I am so blessed to be married to Lionel Wallace. 

Thank you for reading Holy Interventions. If you would like to receive my posts directly into your inbox go to holyinterventions.com, go to the contact page and you can submit your email. Please feel free to share if you have friends/family that can be encouraged. Continue to look for the Lord’s Presence in your life, He is there.