Driving a Lesson Home

The most amazing thing happened to me on the way home tonight. I am not sure that I really have a complete picture of the events, but I will share them the best that I can with you.

My phone battery was dead today ... so I was driving down the road listening to the radio instead of catching up with one of my friends as I usually do. I was driving in the far right hand lane (so there were cars on only one side of me), I had both hands on the wheel (remember I had no phone), and there was a nice empty "who knows what it is for" lane to the right of me. Each of these 3 separate events is an amazing example of God's provision and grace ... for the 3 combined most surely saved me from a horrible accident. I am not sure that I am being totally accurate in my explanation, but here is what I remember happening in the 10 seconds that is took. It all began with this dark large shape coming into my car ... into the side of my car. It all happened so fast that I could not even tell that it was another car swerving into my lane at full speed. I don't ever remember consciously deciding to respond by swerving into that mystery lane ... but I did. Just a quickly the car jerked back into its original lane, and I returned to mine. Just as I got back into my lane, the car once again swerved into my lane ... missing me only because I once again swerved ... only this time into a deep turn lane that was in front of the gas station to the right. I stopped in the drive way and just sat there trying to process what had happened ... feeling totally disorientated ... although not shaky at all - my heart was not even beating fast. It all felt quite surreal. Anyway, I watched the lady driving down the road from the turn lane, and noticed that she turned into the gas station. I decided to turn in as well. I think I thought that I would just drive by and see who had just almost run me off the road .. twice. Maybe I thought that I would say something like, "Hey, you almost hit me. What the heck was that?" I really wasn't thinking through all the details. As I pulled up towards her car, she rolled her window down. I did the same. One look at her face instantly put to rest any thought of pointing out the obvious to her. Before I could speak, (another of God's provisions) she launched into an apology that would have made the hardest-hearted person forgive her. Turns out she turned into the gas station to "come back and check" on me and make sure that I was alright. She never saw my car and lost control of hers when she tried to avoid hitting me. I thought she was going to cry. I told her that accidents happen, that I had been in her shoes before, and that the most important thing was that we were both alright. We parted smiling at each other and wishing each other well.

As I drove the rest of the way home I cold not help but reflect on the whole situation. My first instinct was to go in and give her a piece of my mind. I could have rolled down my window and let her have it before she even began to speak. Instead, I hesitated and listened to her heart and, in doing so, was able to just give her grace and even more so compassion. It took a lot for her to turn around and face me. She had no idea just what kind of person she was going to face ... but she did it any way. She risked whatever consequences awaited her to make sure that I was alright and to apologize. That is where God really drove the lesson home ... and He did not spare me the impact of truth. I would like to tell you that I always "go back and check" when I do something that is wrong ... something that might have hurt someone ... but there are times that I wrong some one ... intentionally or accidentally, that I choose to just let it go. Times where I am not sure they know that I did something that might hurt them. Example ... A comment is made with out thinking first, I luck out and I don't think that the person heard me ... I let it go and never go back to check. I forget a promise, but the person I promise never seems to notice ... I let it go and never go back to check. I am grumpy and take it out on someone, but they never say anything ... I let it go and never go back and check. The list can go on I am sure, but the point is that when we do something that is wrong, we need to go back and check ... even if it means humbling ourselves.

I drove away from the gas station in total respect of the woman that I met tonight ... may we all be brave enough to "go back and check" when we make mistakes that effect others.

May your drive time today be safe ...

Lisa