I was able to visit with my parents last weekend. I haven’t seen them since the summer, so I was really looking forward to the visit. After dinner, we lingered around the table as we often do and caught each other up on the recent happenings in our lives. My daddy, like most southern men, is a gifted storyteller, so when he launched into one of his tales, I had no idea what was coming.
He was heading home from work a couple of weeks earlier and came upon a horrible car accident. He stopped his truck, turned on the emergency flashers and got out to see if he could help. There was a SUV and a small Honda involved. He had actually seen the Honda a few minutes earlier. There was a man in the driver’s seat of the Honda who wasn’t moving. His window was shattered and Dad reached in to check his pulse. He was deceased. The woman from the other car told him there was someone else in the car. Dad had her sit on the curb and went to check. Sure enough, there was a child in the passenger seat. His foot was hung on something and he was in silent shock. Dad dialed 911.
The following happened in minutes. A man appeared and asked if he could help. Dad told him yes, that he needed to turn traffic around in one direction. This was a very busy, well-traveled street; if someone came barreling down the highway, these cars could be hit again before he could get the child out. A second man appeared asking if he needed help and dad asked him to stop traffic in the other direction. These civilian men literally helped to create a safety zone so that this child could be rescued. They turned all types of vehicles around including a bus.
When Dad was able to get to the child, the window was jammed and the boy couldn’t get it down. A third stranger appeared asking if he could help. Dad told him they had to get the window out and get the child’s foot loose so they could get him out. He tried to pull the window out of the door frame and it miraculously came out in one piece. At this point in the story, my dad stopped. He was a mechanic for many years; car windows don’t come out in one piece. They shatter. If it had shattered, the child would have been covered in glass. It didn’t. It came out in one piece. The man standing beside him reached into the car and freed the child’s foot and Dad was able to lift him out safely. A fire truck arrived shortly after followed by the police.
After it was all over, Dad was plagued with the thoughts that always follow a tragedy. If he would have been five minutes earlier, he would have missed the entire scene. If he would have been two minutes earlier, he would have been in the accident. Who were these men who came out of nowhere at exactly the right moment to help in this rescue? Why did the window come out like it did? The answer to all of these questions is of course, God’s timing. All of these pieces didn’t simply come together by chance. Dad and the other men, were there in that place at that moment for that purpose. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 NIV Notice, God prepared in advance. And as for the window, we know, nothing is impossible with God.
As Christians, we are supposed to do good as often as we can. The Bible tells us, “Let us not become weary of doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9 God is all around us. His footprints are everywhere. I wanted to share Dad’s story because I think we need to hear more about regular people doing good. As I’ve said before, with God’s help, one person can make a difference. What good can you do today?
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂