Albert Leo wrote, “Einstein once said: ‘The Lord God is subtle, but never malicious.’ Most people probably have an unusual experience that could either be a coincidence or a gentle hint from a loving, personal God; a God that Einstein was too humble to believe in. I had an experience that convinced me that God has a sense of humor as well as a caring nature.”
Returning to Boston from a Gordon Conference held in Tipton N.H., Albert and his colleague, Prof. Eric Lien, were fortunate to be the first people to get on the bus. To get the best view, they chose the right-hand front seats while two other colleagues from Germany sat across the aisle. At first, Eric and Albert discussed the technical papers given at the conference, but then Eric asked Albert for some personal advice. Eric began by saying, “I saw you reading ‘God and the New Physics’ during the breaks in the conference, Al. Are you a religious person?”
“I try to be,” Albert answered. Eric then proceeded to briefly summarize his life, and what had led to his present problem. He was born and raised in Taiwan by parents who practiced a form of Confucianism that he respected but was not drawn to. When some Christian missionaries located to their area, Eric’s parents allowed him to attend their classes, but after hearing that ‘only those professing Jesus Christ would be saved,' he decided that Christianity had no appeal for him either. He believed that his parents were too good to be damned for all eternity. Later, he emigrated to the U.S. to complete his education. He also met Linda, a practicing Christian, who he married. Eric had no objections to Linda and their children practicing Christianity, but he thought it would be hypocritical for him to do so. But, as their kids began to ask why Dad did not attend church services, Linda began to put pressure on Eric to accompany them. This pressure put a little strain on their marriage, but Eric remembered the missionaries’ narrow teaching and refused Linda as a matter of principle.
After finishing his brief "biography," Eric turned to Albert and asked: “Al, what do you think is the answer to my problem?”
Albert had anticipated this question while Eric was speaking, but now he was at a loss how to answer it honestly. Meanwhile, traffic had slowed as vehicles approached a bridge leading into the city. Just before the bus came to a complete halt, and before Albert could answer Eric, a white truck pulled directly in front of their bus. The truck, clearly visible through the large windshield, had one message written on the back of it in large blue script: “Don’t worry. Be happy. God loves you.”
“We both looked at it for a few seconds,” Albert remembered. “Then, I turned to Eric and said: ‘That answers you better than I ever could.’” Across the aisle, our two German colleagues, who undoubtedly had been listening to our conversation, burst out laughing. Prof. Kubinyi slapped his knee and said: ‘Al, how did you manage to do that?’ But I had nothing to do with it. God decided to use a little humor to teach four scientists a simple lesson.”
Signs and wonders--they can be very small. Yet even the most minor event can have heavenly meaning if we’re open to it.
