Accidents by their very nature are a total surprise to us. That does not mean they are unknown to God, even before they happen. Let me explain how I experienced one such providential accident recently.
I drove along a neighborhood to work one Saturday morning going the speed limit of thirty miles an hour. I had at least ten minutes to spare, plenty of time to make it without being late.
All of a sudden, out of nowhere, came a CRASH, BAM, SCREECH, as I attempted to brake to avoid hitting a car that had almost passed in front of me. Instead he clipped the front end of my car. Neither of us were going fast, but the impact was enough to deploy my air bag. Thank goodness, I had my seatbelt snuggly around me so the bag didn’t even touch me. I stared at the white balloon popped out of my steering wheel and began to notice some hot-smelling steamy substance coming up from under the hood into the cab.
Neighbors came spilling out of their homes to see what the ruckus was about. My car had come to rest just beyond the intersection, while the other driver’s car sat on the opposite street. I shook myself out of the shock I had begun to enter, unfastened my seat belt, and got out to check the damage.
The front bumper hung down almost resting on the ground. In fact, the grill laid on the nearby lawn, whose homeowner peered out his door. A young woman stood on the other side of the intersection calling 911 to report the accident. Shouts of “Are you okay? Are you okay?” filled the air. I checked myself for blood or sore spots and realized I had come through unscathed, but looking at my car again, I realized my car had not. What did this mean? Did I cause this? Oh Lord, let this turn out okay.
The young woman came over, saying, “Well, I reported the accident, but the police told me they aren’t coming. They said just to exchange insurance information. I saw the accident. The other guy didn’t stop at the corner stop sign over there by the ice cream shop. He caused the accident.”
About that time, the other driver, a young man in athletic gear, came over with his passenger, asking, “Are you okay? I’m here for Hoop Fest and don’t know my way around. We were just looking for our place to play and didn’t see the stop sign.”
I assured him I was okay. “I’m on my way to work. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I guess we need to share our information. I just got this car and the insurance policy, so I don’t have a card yet, but I have some paper work in the car.”
Thank you, Lord. He has insurance and isn’t hurt. So far, so good.
My hands shook as I attempted to take a picture of his paperwork and his dented fender. In spite of my gratitude for his being at fault, I couldn’t help feeling sorry for this young man who missed a stop sign due to being lost on his way to a basketball game away from home. I didn’t trust my pictures, so wrote down his identity information including the fact that his insurance company and mine were the same. He left after assuring me he would report it.
Suddenly I recognized the passing time. I’ve got to get to work. How am I going to get there? I’d better call Pam and tell her what’s going on. She agreed to come the six blocks to pick me up and after locking up my ailing car, I took off.
I called my husband to let him know what had happened. His health had been ailing so he asked me to handle the insurance report.
Can I do this? I’ve never done anything this before. Yikes! Help me Lord.
It happened to be a quiet morning at work so I had a chance to make my accident report to the insurance company. Oh man, I don’t even know where to call. My insurance card doesn’t have any number on it but the road service. Oh well, it’s a place to start.
By quitting-time I had arranged for a tow truck to pick up the car and deliver it to the repair shop and had reserved a rental car all through the insurance claim operator. I had given a description of the accident and damage.
In fact, the other driver’s insurance company called me to check if my report coincided with the other guy’s. Praise the Lord, it did. The guy admitted that he had not stopped at the stop sign.
The good news the claim agent gave me concerned the fact that all the normal expenses such as 20% of the rental cost and $500 for the deductible on collision would be reimbursed to us. Wow! Thanks God. All those ruminations about the unexpected fees we’d have to come up with and how much our insurance rates would go up were all in vain.
As it turned out, our adjustor came up with a figure that came under the car’s worth, so it didn’t get totaled. Since my husband and I were already having heavy “discussions” about the advisability of going into debt for a new car, it was a relief.
If I were going to have a wreck, this is the way I would have done it. Even though it went well as far as accidents go, I think I see God’s reason for allowing it. Up till that morning, I would gladly have handed the details of this situation over to my spouse, considering it beyond my ability. But as the years have gone by, my responsibilities in our marriage have increased with my husband’s health making him unavailable to do what he’s always done. What a great way for God to give me some experience “handling” things and giving me the realization that I could do it. What a great time for a providential accident.
Dianna
Sharing the Fruit of Maturity
