So I almost died today. I was 5 seconds away from certain death, maiming, or dismemberment.
It’s true, let me tell you the story.
I started today like any other, driving from my dad’s house towards town so I can use the wi-fi to do various amounts of internet “work” (like this lovely blog).
I had just gotten off the on ramp for I-95 North and merged onto the highway (in the far right lane of 3 lanes, of course). There was a big 18 wheeler truck to my left, and a slow moving car in front of me. Luckily there was about 20 feet in front of me where if I hurried I could speed up… get real close to the car in front of me… and squeeze in front of the big truck to my left in the center lane.
As long as the 18 wheeler kept his same speed it would all work out well…
I’ve done it a hundred times before.
So I started to speed up, passing 75, 80, 81,82,83 — and then my senses started tingling. The 18 wheeler to my left wasn’t keeping his same speed — he was slowing down. This would make it easier to pass him, but why the sudden drop in speed?
I took one look in my rearview mirror and was horrified.
About 100 yards back I watched a Ford Explorer slide sideways from the far left lane across all three lanes of traffic, before hitting the edge of the right side of the highway and flipping, rolling at last 1 and a half times before landing on its roof — a snarled mess of broken glass, smoking tires, and twisted metal.
It took about 1.5 seconds for this to transpire — and then I had my cell phone out and dialed 911. After giving the operator the coordinates for the wreck, the car make, and the side of the road I hung up and then it hit me.
If I had been 5 seconds slower this morning I would be dead.
If not dead, then seriously injured. Most likely maimed or dismembered in some way. You see, I drive a 1989 Honda CRX. It’s a little hatchback car like the picture on the right.
And the car that was in the accident (at least the one I saw that screeched across all 3 lanes behind me) was a Ford Explorer (or some other big SUV) like the one on the right.
My car would of been no match.
It would of gotten spun off the road and sitting on its roof (with the open sunroof. Ouch).
If I had taken 5 more seconds getting out of bed this morning…
5 more seconds choosing which shorts to wear…
5 more seconds brushing my teeth or showering…
5 more seconds finding my wallet, keys, cell phone, and making sure I had everything…
or even 5 more seconds driving towards the highway….
It could of happened hundreds of thousands of ways, but all it would of took was 5 insignificant seconds more this morning and I would be dead (or at least pissed off that my laptop was broken while nursing some serious injuries).
But you know what…
We serve a perfect God
He arranged all the details of my life, of the past 22 years so that this morning, I got up at 10:24am and got ready… out of the house… on the road… with just enough time to just barely miss that vehicle.
Why? I don’t pretend to know God’s will. I just trust Him. Maybe He knew I would immediately open my phone and dial 911 and those precious seconds were necessary for that poor person, whoever they are, that was in that accident. Or maybe… there’s a thousand maybes. I just don’t know.
I do know that God is in control. And His every purpose is Love.
Hopefully, if that would of been me in that accident this morning — I would still feel the same way. If the finely tuned, athletic body I’ve spent years developing no longer functioned and I was restrained to a bed for the rest of my life because I was paralyzed from the neck down… I THINK I would still be able to keep my faith that for some reason “God’s every purpose is LOVE”.
Maybe this morning. Maybe every day. Maybe every moment I live and God allows me to trust Him fully is TRAINING for that day when I WILL be paralyzed, and have nothing left but Faith in God. I don’t know. We can never know. But what I am sure of is that God’s every purpose is Love.
Then when I got to where I was going I thought about the things I’ve been putting off. Things I might never get the chance to do, because I was waiting. Some I was waiting for God to do it. But like I said, you can Never know the will of God, so unless He tells you to wait (like He did Abraham) it doesn’t make sense to wait.
So I made an important phone call and pondered my life some more. We’ll see what God has in store with that one.
Anyways, I hope you had a great monday morning, just thought I’d share this with you. It’s from my heart and what I’m feeling/thinking right now.
With Love 
Caleb
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Patricia 08.05.08 at 3:06 am
I’m so glad you’re okay