The incident that amazed even me, was when I was pulling out of our driveway. Gary had just washed and waxed his truck and my Mercedes. He parked Mercy so that I wouldn’t have to put it in reverse to back out. (He had noticed that this was a tricky maneuver for me.) I had to run an errand, so I got in Mercy. I saw the truck. I saw the mailbox. But I hit them anyway. I just don’t have eyes to see when I am behind the wheel! (Question: Mailboxes in driveways… Is it just me, or is this really the best place to put a mailbox)?
Then there was the time I was driving my husband home from back surgery. Well, actually, we were still in the parking lot. (I have another question: Who on earth invented underground parking? All those big cement columns! Obviously, I have a destiny with these objects, too). Again, I saw the two columns, but that phenomenon of seeing and yet not seeing occurred. Gary was pretty dopey from the meds so his reaction time was delayed and subdued. For this I will always be grateful.
In time, my husband went from being patiently understanding of the incredible transformation Mercy was undergoing to being dumbfounded, and in just one day, he surrendered to defeat. In my defense, nobody ever told me that if a car is suddenly enveloped in a cloud of smoke, making ominous very loud clunking sounds, and only able to muster up to a maximum speed of 2 MPH, that it should not be driven. I figured I only had about 5 miles to get home and then Gary could fix it. He still says that was the day the Mercedes lost its will to live. I say it was the day he began his journey into believing in God. Over and over again, he said, “Oh, God, Oh, God, Oh, God”!
There was a season when I embraced the darkness of cocaine, alcohol, and pills. I drove while hallucinating. I drove while I was in a blackout. I drove with my children in the car. And I did not have even one accident. I broke the law. I endangered lives. But the Lord, who is rich in Mercy and Grace took the wheel. He was weaving a Divine Destiny even in these things.
During this bondage time, I cleaned up for awhile and cried out to God to help me. It is amazing how he weaved a Divine Moment as an answer to this prayer. A series of accidents occurred within three months. None were my fault. My daughter was with me in three of the five. I was hit by an older woman who said the sun was in her eyes and she didn’t see me! How is that for irony? She had eyes to see, but didn‘t see me! Another driver hit me so hard, that there was nothing left of my car but metal scraps. I walked away without a scratch. I was slammed into by a “hit and run” driver. I wondered at this point if my insurance company would believe I was faultless in all these incidents. I can’t remember the fourth accident…
The accident I have been called to remember again and again is the fifth and last one during that three month season. My daughter and I had just left the doctor’s office and been released from care for neck injuries we suffered in one of the previous accidents. We were sitting at a red light. My daughter asked me, “Mom, do you think we will ever have any more accidents?” I responded: “Honey, the odds are in our favor. We can’t possibly have another accident.” The words were barely out of my mouth when a car smashed into us from the rear. God, who is in control of every detail of my life, who determines my destiny, was not going to let me believe that my life was one of chance and playing the odds - and that nothing was impossible when my times were in His hands. He gave me eyes to see that day that He was writing my story - and He wanted me to remember that.
To date, I have had at least 30 accidents, most of which I cannot explain. I have had many tickets - many less than I should have received - near death experiences, enraged drivers, catatonic passengers, and speechless police officers. Of course, there are the terminally battered autos that have gone to their resting places. And always, the phenomena of seeing but not seeing …
To be continued...
Oh my goodness... 30 accidents?!
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