Life Comes at Us Fast!

I was on my way to church for our Sunday evening service, about five minutes away. As I was driving, I was singing along to Jonathan McReynolds’ song, ‘God Is Good’. It was my turn to go through the traffic light, mind you, I was about the 5th car to cross the intersection so the light was good and green. What did this mean? Well, it meant that the opposite light had been red for some time.

Seemingly, out of nowhere, a red Jeep sped through the light to the left of me. It crossed right in front of me… meaning they definitely ran that red light. Now, it happened so fast that I’m not really sure how I saw what type of vehicle it was. Anyhoo… I was literally 2 feet from hitting and devouring the passenger side of that SUV when I slammed on my brakes. My car stopped, clear in the middle of the intersection and, for about seven seconds, I couldn’t breathe. Like, I was going forty miles an hour down that street, that would have been absolutely horrific, but God allowed my brakes to do their job.

The weird, not so weird, thing is that I didn’t panic. Although I did kinda lose my breath a little, I couldn’t panic. No fast heartbeat, no sweat, nothing.

God is in Control

Now, my story wasn’t just a cause for me to share my close call, but a chance for me to make a point (as usual). Here goes…

There will be times in life that you will come close to a collision point, but when you allow God in the “driver’s seat”, your brakes will work every time.

Now, I don’t promise that you won’t panic a little, that often comes with the territory, but I can guarantee that if you allow Him room, God will work things out for you. Tough situations are inevitable and seem to come around in new forms every day. They catch us off guard and speed right before our eyes, only, sometimes we do crash into that “red Jeep” and can’t quite figure out how to bounce back or pay that “insurance” bill.

So, What’s the Play Call?

Life can be tough and feel like our brakes don’t work. Sometimes, it feels like the engine stops altogether. In reality, we don’t always get that 7 seconds to breathe through the intersection, but we’ve got to keep pushing until we get to our destination. Here are a few things to keep in mind in those moments when you need to slam on the brakes:

1. Trust God. Without realizing it, I put a lot of trust in the operation of my car. When that Jeep flew in front of me, I didn’t think twice before I crashed my right foot down on the brake pedal. Allow your trust in God to become instinctive. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5
2. Know that God is working things in your favor. It doesn’t always seem that way, but it’s true. And “our favor” may mean we have more peace, or wisdom, or joy, or greater understanding. Whatever it means for your situation, know that if God is handling it, it’s what’s best. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28
3. Try not to panic. That may be tall order depending on what you’re dealing with, but panicking does nothing but add to your trauma. God’s will is still His will, whether you use your energy “losing it” or not. “For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.” Isaiah 41:13
4. Don’t stop driving. The thing about life collisions is that you have the choice to keep pushing or pull over and turn your “car” off. Don’t stop, go through it. “Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.” 2 Chronicles 15:7

I pray that you keep going, even after a collision. Allow God to lead you through whatever it is that you’re dealing with. Remember, keep God in the driver’s seat.