I consider myself to be a great driver. By that, I don’t mean that I know all the rules and obey them (although I do…sometimes). What I mean is that I react pretty quickly and have been able to avoid several wrecks over the years
But the picture below refers to a fear of mine. Ever since I was a kid, I hate driving by semi trucks. As soon as I approach one, I press the gas a little harder, leaving my fears safely behind me.
This morning, during rush hour, I was driving down an interstate I travel frequently. My exit was just up ahead. I was in the middle lane, hoping for a chance to get over, which is not usually a problem. To my right, a semi. Behind that semi was another semi.
Have you ever been in a driving situation in which you see cars stopped ahead, but no one else does around you? Even the semi trucks? That’s exactly what happened this morning. In fact, all reason told me that, at that point, there was going to be a wreck.
A quick glance to the far left lane left me with no options, as there were cars there, too. I was about to be in product of a very ugly wreck, including two semi trucks doing 65 mph.
Then the first semi realized the traffic was stopped. He hit the brakes and stopped almost immediately. May I remind you that he had no other option. No other lanes were open. The semi behind him reacted quickly, safely pulling behind me. And no one was hurt.
I guess what was crazy to me about the situation was that I thought for sure that there was going to be necessary collateral damage. He either needed to side-swipe me or smash into the cars in front of him. Taking everything into account, I represented less damage in the situation.
But he just stopped. Almost immediately. The tires didn’t screech. The truck didn’t jackknife. I would estimate that he stopped the truck in 30-50 yards.
Now, I’m no truck driver; nor am I an engineer. But everything I’ve witnessed in the past tells me that this doesn’t happen.
For the next 15 minutes, I thought about what could have happened. I thought about the family that I’d left at home. I thought about what life would look like if I’d been in a terrible wreck. I wondered if I’d even be alive to be think these thoughts.
And then this thought popped into my head: What if God had purpose for stopping that wreck from happening. What if the laws of nature were bent for even just one of the people who would be involved?
What if God miraculously stopped that wreck because He has a big plan for someone involved?
May we remember that God has a plan for us all!
If you’re breathing today, then God is not done with you yet!
What would you regret not doing if you died today?
What burning passion is God stirring up in you?
What are you waiting for?
And if you’re one of those people who knows that this was in fact not a miracle, but happens all the time with semi trucks, just go ahead and keep your comment to yourself. I’d rather go on believing that it was a miraculous event :).
