On Jan. 21, 2015, Vickie and I were heading out to visit in-laws. It was a gray day but very nondescript. We were about 4 miles from the orchard when we stopped at a 4 way stop intersection. Nothing out of the ordinary, we stopped and then pulled forward into the intersection. Suddenly we were hit by a car blowing through the opposite stop sign. People talk about how time often moves extremely slow when accidents occur and this was no different. Not even understanding what had hit us, we found ourselves spinning a full 630 degrees with airbags exploding and metal and plastic flying everywhere. When we came to rest, I immediately looked over to my wife who was scrunched between her door and the now encrouching dash and asked if she was alright. Unbelievably she had only a cut on a finger, a badly bruised hand, and assorted bumps and bruises. I received a sprained knee and ankle but no major injuries. The girl in the car was transported to the hospital but with minor injuries as well. It appears she had been talking on a cell phone and never saw the intersection and never even applied the brakes. Once out of our car and surveying the carnage that once had been our Honda Civic I immediately knew that God had placed His loving hand of protection on us. A millisecond later and the other car would have hit directly on my wife's door and would have totally obliterated the passenger side of our car.
I relate all this to make two points. First, driving is a privilege and to compromise others by using cell phones or other distractions should never happen. Secondly, and this is so much more important, God is in control! We may be thinking we are in control of our lives as we drive through life. But when we least expect it we are confronted with the fact that God is in control. Understanding that fact means we should do all things to His glory and never our own. His grace was sufficient to not only save our lives in a car accident but also to pay the price for my sins and save my soul for all eternity. My prayer today is that this feeling of gratitude will always be foremost on my mind. "For you have been bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body." 1 Cor 6:20.
