We Should Remember

On voting day, November 2016, our car was struck by a distracted driver who t-boned the car and totaled it. I was just remembering this accident, as I was talking to an old friend this week, reliving the details. As I look back, I see God’s fingerprints all over the accident.

First of all, a neighbor, who lives in my neighborhood took it upon herself to stand on the corner, near where the accident happened, and do whatever she could. I wasn’t thinking clearly. When you’ve just come out of a car accident that totally destroys your car, you usually don’t have the wherewithall to think clearly. She was the one who yelled to me to take pictures. That thought never even crossed my mind.

I got out my cell phone, which I only carry with me half the time and it was half charged so I could take pictures. So I took pictures of everything. My car, the lady who hit us, her car. I took pictures from different angles. But this isn’t something I thought of. It was the lady, who I didn’t know, standing on the corner, telling me to do it. Those pictures were key is showing clearly, we were not at fault. If we didn’t have those pictures, who knows what would have happened. It would be her word against mine. But the pictures were solid evidence that we had been struck. Both insurance companies requested the pictures. My testimony and the pictures convinced my insurance company that I was NOT at fault. And they convinced the other driver’s insurance company that she WAS at fault. When I confronted the woman and told asked her what was wrong with her and told her she didn’t even stop, she quickly declared, “I stopped.” Without those pictures, this would have been a major fight.

The neighbor consoled my daughter. She kept talking softly to my daughter, telling her it was going to be okay, while I talked to the police.

When we got hit, the car was two years old. If this would have happened any sooner, we would have lost money. If we had to get our car totaled, this was a good time to do it.

My daughter and I both received seven hundred dollars each for minor injuries. That money paid for our two tickets to England, which my daughter didn’t know she would do until later that year.

God would use the accident to answer my daughter’s prayers regarding whether she should go to England. As she was considering it, she prayed to God to send her a sign. The next day, she received a settlement projection for her minor injuries. The amount, was the exact amount it would cost for her to go to England for Bible school.

We walked away from the accident with only minor injuries. The key was, we walked away. God was there, with us, when the accident happened. He was with us, right after the accident happened. He spoke through the neighbor to tell me to take pictures. There were no witnesses, which was actually a good thing. Our testimony and the pictures served as our witness. I’ve heard of other cases where witnesses aren’t great. But hard core evidence like pictures, clearly tell the story.

We were able to get a new car. We were able to pay for two tickets to England. We didn’t lose money on the car. God was with us, before the accident, during the accident and after the accident. God never leaves us or forsakes us. In the storms, He is with us. In car accidents, He is with us. Through the valleys, He is with us. Remembering the accident, was encouragement to me in this waiting time. That same God who walked us through this accident is the same God I’m waiting on now. If you’re going through something, remember. Look back and see what God has done.