proverbs 18:10

yesterday, my sister and i made the three hour journey home so that i could go to a doctor's appointment and we could see our family. it rained the whole way there and my jeep is known to have some issues with wet weather. we were about three miles from home and driving on the infamous "Kansas Hill," which is the curviest road i've ever driven on. on the last sharp turn, i barely braked to slow us down a bit, but the tires skid on the slick road and caused us to start skidding toward the side of the road where there was a cliff drop-off. i let go of the brake, but the car was still skidding and the backend swung around and slammed into the embankment on the opposite side of the road. my sister and i are just fine with some minor headaches from the impact. we definitely panicked and i kept saying, "it's okay...it's okay."

there were a total of three cars that stopped to ask if we were okay. one van had two men in it and they made sure we were fine and knew that our parents were coming so they went on their way. two other vehicles stopped and started calling the police and slowing down traffic. one man was the nicest man in the world and went up the hill to direct traffic since we were in such a blind spot area. the police showed up, two ambulances, the fire department... it was a mess. the jeep was stuck pretty good in the ditch and up onto the embankment. after about an hour of figuring out what needed to be done and a trip into the ambulance to make sure my sister and i were okay, the kind man offered to use his truck to pull my jeep out. the one thing we were all scared of was if the jeep was going to be drivable or not. the way it looked wasn't too good. underneath the back tires, it all looked bent, but he got the jeep out and my dad drove it home without a problem. the back bumper is a little sad looking...but i'm able to take it back to school.

i wasn't fully aware of how serious the situation was until after i got home. something seriously horrible could have happened. there could have been an oncoming car, which i would have hit. the airbags could have gone off and probably seriously injured my sister and me who weigh nothing. we could have gone off the cliff. jenifer could have been injured. i just kept thinking of all of these things that could have happened and i cried a good while about it. i was scared, embarrassed, emotional, anxious. i didn't get any sleep last night at all and i needed my mom to drive me to my doctor's appointment because i was terrified to get back behind the wheel.

then i keep being reminded that God saved us. He saved us BIG TIME. He made sure we didn't go off the cliff, He made sure there wasn't any traffic behind or in front of us, He kept jenifer and me safe from harm, and He saved the vehicle. everything was in God's hands. yes, the situation was bad and not fair, but bad things happen to good people because there is evil in this world. God made sure the evil didn't take us and i am so glad He did. we are alive and untouched because our Lord put His hand on our vehicle.

which brings me to my next bible journaling verse.

"the name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into and is safe." proverbs 18:10.

there will be horrible events in life that seem unfair. there will be scary events. we can either go through these times without God and be controlled by the evil or we can run to God's arms and be protected through His grace during the bad. yesterday was a good reminder of how i need to put my faith in God and trust that He will bring me to safety through everything. i can't imagine going through yesterday without Him.


jrw