No other man-made device since the shields and lances of the ancient knights fulfills a man's ego like an automobile.
-Sir William
I was so excited the morning of my most recent birthday. My parents had given me the key to the car in the driveway. It had only cost them $300 but it was worth so much more to me. It meant I had freedom to control where I went and when I went there. It meant my parents trusted me. I loved that car.
However, on this past Friday the 13th, after dropping off a friend at his house, I got into a crash turning left off of West Street - a major intersection. My dear car is now junk. My neck has what looks like a red rash from the seatbelt and both my knees are bruised. I was in pain for the next few days, but every time I winced, I thanked God that no one else had been in my car.
When I had asked permission to bring my friend home to watch a movie, I told my mom that I would take my sister with me to drop him off when returning him to his house. You know how parents get when they think that a boy and a girl - especially teenagers - are going to be alone together. :P However, when we had put off going to his house as long as we could without staying past his curfew, my sister decided she'd rather watch the last few minutes of the movie than make sure I didn't do anything my parents would frown on. So my friend and I headed out the door without her.
I don't know what would have happened if my sister had been there. I don't have any theories about how the time/space continuum works. Perhaps her being in my car would have changed just enough that the crash was avoided. Maybe I would have crashed that night anyway. If the latter is the truth, I'm so very glad she stayed to watch her movie. I'm also thankful that the crash didn't happen on my way to my friend's house. I can't imagine his mother would have been too excited about that. :P
But that's not the only miracle that is associated with the crash.
The paramedic that showed up at the scene asked me if I was alright. I was; I didn't have any broken bones, I had been able to get out of my car by myself, and I hadn't blacked out. Then he asked me how old I was. Because I'm a minor, though I was fine, they were required to take me to the hospital. My parents had been with some friends about an hour away that night, so they asked a family friend from church to come keep me company until they could get there. I'm so thankful they did that because I would have grown incredibly bored without him to talk to.
My parents finally arrived and filled out the paperwork required to release me. The doctor warned me that the pain would only get worse before it got better on Monday. She told me that I would be sore and stiff, and gave my parents advice on how much medication to give me. When she left the room, my dad asked me if I wanted a healing blessing. Having just been told that I'd be in too much pain to leave my bed for the next two days, I quickly said yes.
My dad and our friend anointed my head and gave me a blessing, asking God for my full and speedy recovery. This would be the second time I received such a blessing, the first being 4 and a half years ago. That day, I had spilled soup onto my lap and sustained 3rd degree burns. The doctors were amazed at how quickly I had recovered. This time, I had the same result. Although I didn't go back to the doctors for a check up, I know they would have been amazed to know that the pain was never worse than what it was on the night of the accident. Especially since we never filled out the prescription we'd been given. In fact, I never took any kind of medication for it. Though my chest and knees would feel sore if they were bumped, I never felt stiff or like I couldn't get out of bed and walk around the house.
The tell-tale signs of injury are fading, but my testimony will not. God loves me. He loves my sister, He loves my friend, and He loves my parents. Yes, He allowed me to get into an accident, yes, He allowed me to be hurt. But He sent me comfort, a quick recovery, and taught me humility. If it weren't for Him, I could be in much more pain. And so, every day, I hold a deep gratitude for Him in my heart.
