Driving to work today, all things seemed relatively normal. For some reason though, I said a prayer as I got into my car "Lord, please protect my car." I didn't think much of my prayer and went on my way. About five minutes later, I was jolted as my car was sideswiped by an SUV who didn't see me. Shocked and a bit annoyed, I looked behind me to see the person who hit me looking oblivious and about to drive away. I moved my way to a nearby parking lot and signaled him to stop with me. We assessed and agreed his car was fine while mine took the beating. As I navigated the hours that followed the incident, handling the car, and filing insurance claims, I found myself asking "why."
I've thankfully never been involved in a car accident so I recounted my steps, trying to see if I should have done anything differently. Time and time again, I kept hearing the same conclusion "these things happen." Maybe that was God's way of telling me to stop overthinking it. Sometimes, there are no answers - just things that happen. I could easily point to the diver's car sensor that didn't work properly or his dog that distracted him. But this is one of those situations that in the end, it doesn't really matter. All parties were okay and cooperative. My boss and job were understanding of my absence. And my car, despite being a little beat up, seems relatively okay for taking on a car three times it's size. I can't make sense of anything from this incident except one thing - I prayed as I got in my car that my car would be okay. By all accounts, it shouldn't have been.
God might not always stop bad things from happening in our lives, but He will always be there to shield us from the impact. He will always take the direct hit for us. We might not be able to make sense of things that happen around or to us, but we can always look to Him and see Him working in our lives.
My heart is full today. I can't shake the feeling of how one simple and small prayer may have been the covering I needed. What a great reminder that we do not need big, fancy, or loud prayers to reach the heart of God. He hears our simplist prayers. #thankfulandblessed
"And said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:3
