Guess what? I got in a car accident yesterday!
Jammin’ to Misty Edwards and trying to get on the highway. Everybody and their brother was trying to merge left 4 lanes in under 40 feet’s distance. Rear-ended. My plushie Tails doll went flying off the dash.
The guy could have just fled, or worse, been a jerk. But instead he pulled in front of me, rolled down his window, asked if we could pull over around the corner, and led us to a parking lot. We got out and looked at the damage.
“My name’s Megan, by the way.” He introduced himself.
“It’s good to meet you,” I started. Then laughed and added, “Well — not in this particular situation, but in general.”
He reminded me of my dad. But he looked like that guy from Breaking Bad — without the drugs, of course. Or that crazy hat.
“This is my second car accident,” I said, “but the first time I was with my dad. I don’t know what to do.”
“I haven’t been in an accident since I was 20” he said. “You’re even fresher than me at this.”
So I called my dad, and then we exchanged insurance info and called the police. While we were waiting, we chatted and I found out he’s an HR guy. So I told him about my job, my work personality, degree. “I have a daughter in high school,” he mentioned. “She’s also a writer. Introvert, too. Really creative. I’ve asked if she’s wanted to start a blog, but she hasn’t at this point. She wants to go into social work.” Small world! I hadn’t even mentioned I had a blog.
Anyways. This guy was just super nice. He even was able to jostle my bumper so it wasn’t rubbing against the tire anymore. And in the end, insurance worked out the best it possibly could have for both of us, given the situation.
Driving my totally capable car home, I got to thinking, of all people I could have gotten into an accident with… why him?
Of course, this got me thinking about God. First off, I’ve been fighting with the philosophy that “Everything happens for a reason.” You see, I don’t really have sufficient reason to believe everything happens for a reason. Everything? Really?
A couple of life decisions have left me disillusioned. Accidents — sure. I can see those happening for a reason. I break my phone and I get more time to think. I get in a car wreck and get to be encouraged and grateful. But what gets me is when my life’s direction is in my own hands.
It’s sometimes based on such small things. I make a decision to turn right or turn left, and it changes my life forever. How do you make sense of that? It’s not an “Obey God and you get this, disobey Him and you get that” kind of thing. It’s almost always more complicated than that. But.. even if I can’t understand everything, I’m doing this thing where I try to bring meaning out of meaninglessness, sense out of senselessness. It’s why I’m writing this. How will this car accident change my life? The universe? Hmm. I’m not too certain.
But there is one thing I can know for certain, amidst the wreckage and regrets and what-ifs:
God’s character.
Of all possible gods, you guys,
we live in a universe
where our God is both
kind-hearted…
and sovereign.
What a combo.
He could have been ignorant or neglectful,
but He paid attention enough to form all our enzymes and nucleic acids to carry our species for millenia.
He could have been weak,
but instead He’s sovereign enough that not even our free will can thwart His plan. I can’t even wrap my mind around that.
We all go through things. But they’re only gonna be meaningful if we seek God’s face in them. After all, He created meaning in the first place. Because if you seek Him, then no matter where you are, you’ll meet Him there. And deep down you that’s the reason you’re here. Wherever “here” may be.
You may not have met him in the best situation… but it was no coincidence that you met Him.
