1989 Olds meets 2005 Apple

Oddly enough, 2005's ingenuity has joint forces with 1989 automotive design.

I was recently in an accident and my car is now sitting in an auto body shop waiting to be fixed and get back on the road. I'm looking at atleast another two weeks before I get it back. They said it will take a week to order the parts... which is really strange because its the body shop attached to the dealership. You'd think they get enough '04 Civics in there that they'd have most of those parts on hand or atleast be able to procure them pretty quickly.

I was driving down the far righthand lane of a wet and rainy I-95 just north of Fredericksburg which is just a little south of DC. As I was coming down the hill, I saw some water building up on the highway at the lowest point. I told myself, "You don't want to hydroplane, so you better slow down." So I let off the gas and slowed down a bit... apparently not enough.

As I hit the water, I felt a sudden jerk as the water splashed up underneath the car. Then it happened. My car started to turn in a direction which I didn't direct it to go or want it to go. I was now facing the ditch on the right side of the road. Of course, my natural reaction was to turn the wheel the other direction. I went the other direction... too far the other direction. I was now facing a Pontiac Grand Am. It was at this point my tires decided to catch the road and I made haste towards the unsuspecting driver. I caught both her and her mother's attention as my driver side bumper smashed in the passenger side door sending glass from her window into her mother's lap without cutting her at all and somehow a few small specks managed to find their way scratching and getting stuck in my driver side windows. Honestly, it felt like I was riding in a bumper car. I can't really recall which direction I started to spin in. It was probably clockwise. As I was going 4o-50 mph (by this point) facing the wrong direction, I noticed a sea of cars coming my direction. As I continued to do auto acrobats, I'm sitting there grasping my steering wheel with white knuckles thinking about the cars all around me realizing I have absolutely no control of my car and saying over and over again, "Lord, please save me. Lord, please save me."

I think I spun around one more time and as I was facing forward yet another time, all four wheels began to grip the tarmac again. I pulled off to the side of the road. I was shaking like crazy. I got out of my car and started to head down the highway where the Grand Am was sitting on the other side of the road.

As I approached the car and I saw the passenger side door smashed in, I wanted to walk back to my car and leave because I was scared of what happened. Thankfully, they were both ok. The police came, took our testimonies of what happened and I was written a summons to court in August for reckless driving (and boy am I glad I have a lawyer friend to tell me how to handle my case).

Believe it or not, I drove away from this accident! All the way home, in fact. Even more unbelievable, this isn't the first time I've driven away unscathed from an accident going over 65 mph. And last time, there weren't even any police. Truly the Lord has protected me.

I've had time to think about the possibilities as to why the Lord allowed me to be in that accident on the Fourth of July and I have come to certain conclusions. They are, I'm sure, in no way exhaustive. First, that I hold to closely to things. I love stuff. The more I get and the more expensive it is, the better. It's just stuff. Second, and seems to be the clearest to me is, I am not God. What I mean by this is, for too long now, I have continued to live however I feel like living... like I am God and I make the rules. I have lived like I can do what I want, when I want with zero consequences. I have believed a lie. And the Lord has made this abundantly clear to me as He directed my automobile as easly as a child with a matchbox car yet with utter precision jolting me around enough to send the message without finishing in a 10 car pile up and ending up like the corpse of the man I saw spread out on the road earlier that day getting off of I-495 in DC onto I-95. Now I have reached the most difficult part... where the rubber meets the road. I now have to put this knowledge into practice.

Another thing I have seen come of this is the provision from Lord and the giving spirit of a fellow Brother in Christ. Most people would have had to resort to spending hundreds of dollars on a car rental for 3 weeks. Steve Osborne has graciously allowed me to borrow his station wagon while I have my car in the shop. And while I have been driving around in a 1989 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser, Apple has provided me with the technology to still be be able to plug in my ipod and utilize the cars stereo to play my favorite tunes. 1989 Olds meets 2005 Apple.

Even as I write this, I am learning new things. I have been worried about where I am going to get the finances to pay for my deductable and still be able to pay my bills. If the Lord can provide me with a car, He can provide me with the funds I need to meet my financial obligations. He just wants me to trust Him... along with being a good steward of what He has already given me.