Yesterday I was driving home from work and took a route, I usually don’t take. Usually I drive across the bridge home, it adds about ten minutes to my commute, but it is more scenic and allows me to unwind and shake off the work day by the time I get home.
However, yesterday it was raining buckets and the bridge is shaky at best during rain and wind storms. So, in pouring rain, I took the interstate, which is bridge free. About, ten minutes into my commute, I had a life altering occurrence. One car ahead of me in a downpour, I saw a semi truck hydroplane, cross the median and hit a street light. As if in slow motion, I saw the street light come down in front of me, there was nowhere for me to go but straight ahead. Another truck was going around me to the left, a line of cars were behind me and cars were to the right of me. So I prayed and drove forth over the street light, I could hear aluminum and glass crunch beneath my tires, but I drove on to the next exit and pulled over.
I was thanking God and shaking like a leaf. I pulled into a gas station, sat still for a minute while praying and catching my breath, then I called my husband. Of course, at that point tears started flowing. I was so grateful and shaken. Because I knew that God had given me literally wrapped his arms around me and saved me from what could have been not just life-changing but life ending.
After talking to my husband, I calmed down, thanked God and headed on my way home. All I could think of was how short and blessed life is and how things and situations can change on a dime.
The night before I had, had the same kind of epiphany. While sitting in a church meeting that was going very well and with one question the entire tone and agenda changed. I left that meeting shaken in much the same way I had in the near accident. Understanding ,that God was talking plainly and clearly talking to me and that I had better wake up and listen.
I have been chronically tired for a long time, but I force myself to plunge on and I have hit a wall. Most of last year I spend vast amounts of time trying to help this one and fix that one and do this and do that and I woke up in a New Year realizing I hadn’t really helped or fixed anyone or anything; just did a bunch of enabling and overdoing; because for the most part, nothing had changed and I knew I had to change me, reprioritize, make my health, my spirit and my very soul my priorities.
So mostly I have to say henceforth, I am going to have to listen when God speaks…because he always does and when we don’t listen he speaks louder, yesterday in traffic, he screamed in my ear and I heard HIM...
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