Last night was one of those times.
Yesterday we had our first big snowfall of the year. I was on my way out of town after the roads had been cleared and I thought it was safe to travel. I was very careful, driving well under the speed limit, not concerned about how long it took me to reach my destination as long as I arrived safely. As I drove along, I noticed that my car was riding a little rough. A flat tire, perhaps? No, it's not a flat tire... Perhaps it's just the snow and ice on the road. I convinced myself that my car was fine, and continued on.
I began to sing a children's hymn I had learned at church as a child many years ago. I felt a sense of peace and calm as I sang. It helped to ease my nerves as I drove along the icy roads. As I was about to finish the final verse, my car began to rotate. "Well that's odd," I thought to myself. I was on a straight road, traveling in a straight line. I nudged the wheel to correct my course. The car responded by rotating even farther in the other direction. Again, I tried to correct my course, but I quickly lost control of the vehicle, and I began to slide off the road - directly towards a house that was only a few feet from the road.
I began to pray aloud. "Heavenly Father, please help me, help me, help me, HELP ME!" I braced myself for impact, not knowing when - or if - I would wake up, as my car smashed into a pile of bricks stacked next to the house. CRASH!
I opened my eyes. I was alive. I was awake. Even more amazing, I was completely unharmed. I shut off the engine, grabbed my phone and got out of my car - which had stopped just two feet away from the house. I called my parents right away, to let them know where I was and what happened. I then called highway patrol, who sent out an officer to get my information and help me get a tow back home.
As I stood there and waited, I thought about what just happened. My knee jerk reaction was, "What the heck? Why did this happen? I was singing hymns and praying as my car slid off the road! Why didn't He help me??" This train of thought quickly derailed, however, as I realized just how much He really had intervened. Those bricks acted as a cushion. They slowed me down more gently than a wall would have. Had those bricks not been there - or had I missed them - I would have likely slid through the wall of the house, causing major damage to not only my car but someone else's property - damage that I would not have been able to pay for. Had I hit the house I would have also likely suffered severe bodily damage. Not only were the bricks there to catch the front end of my car, but some small trees stopped the rear end of my car from swinging into the wall of the house. "Thank you, Heavenly Father, thank you," I prayed.
How blessed I was! This was not a coincidence. I am certain that angels were there, guiding my car to safety.
Sometimes, the thought crosses my mind: "Why couldn't I have slid to a stop on the road? Did I really have to hit a pile of bricks?" I am quickly reminded, however, how fortunate and blessed I really was. It could have been much, much worse.
After the tow truck pulled my car out of the ditch, we were able to assess the damage a bit better. The front bumper was hanging by a thread and a headlight was dragging on the ground, the hood was scratched and dented in front, but that was it. How blessed I am. Everything else appears to be intact. No leaking fluids, no deployed airbag, no broken windows.
I am so full of gratitude toward my Father in Heaven for keeping me safe that night. I was blessed in so many ways. Not only was damage to my car minimal, but I avoided colliding with the house, which means they didn't even need to file an accident report, which would have resulted in increased insurance premiums and a bad mark on my driving record.
What did I learn from this experience?
- Listen to mother! She told me it was too dangerous, but I went anyway. (My sweet mother didn't even say "I told you so!" She was just happy that I was ok.)
- God really does love me, and He watches over me constantly.
- God does not prevent every bad thing from happening, but when bad things do happen, He is still there to guard us and strengthen us during our trials.
Could He have prevented me from sliding off the road? Absolutely. Why didn't He? I suppose there was something I needed to learn from this experience, or perhaps this minor misfortune protected me from something far worse down the road. "What if trials of this life are [His] mercies in disguise?" ~ Blessings by Laura Story
God is omniscient; I will trust in his wisdom and understanding.
