Now by this statement I am guessing that you think I am out of my mind. Well that may be true and although I believe that driving drunk is horrible evil I am here to tell you why I am thankful for it.
To clear it up, I am not thankful for the fact that people drive drunk. It’s awful. It breaks my heart. I sincerely apologize for anyone who has ever lost someone because of this evil. I myself have lost more than one loved one because of someones dumb decision to drive drunk. I hate it. I really hate that it is even a problem in our world. But I am here to tell you why a DUI saved my life. I am thankful for my DUI. It proved to me that good things could come from the horrible decisions we make. Yup, you read that right. I am thankful for my DUI.
As some of you may know in February 2011 I was one of the many foolish people in the world that got behind the wheel after drinking. It didn’t end well for me. By God’s grace I did not hit anyone or crash my car but I did get to spend the night/morning in jail. I will never be proud of that moment. Still to this day I think about how shameful it was that sitting in the holding area with a bunch of other people who were just like me. People who did something stupid and were now paying the consequences for it. Whatever silly thing we did was most likely going to change our lives forever. Little did I know that this DUI wasn’t only going to change my life forever but it was going to turn my life in a completely different direction.
I had always wanted to go to Africa when I was little. But it was one of those things that wasn’t at the top of my desires any time soon. I was more interested in the parties and the boys then going to a third world country. I liked traveling to new places but I was perfectly content with my party life. I had great friends and got enough attention and I really thought it was what life was all about.
Unfortunately that cold February night was not the first time I had driven drunk. It was beginning to be something quite regular for me. Something that I would volunteer to do. That night I volunteered to drive as well. I was beginning to be so comfortable with the life I was living and so careless with the people around me. My life was all about me and making me happy. I was careless of the lives in the car when I would get behind that wheel voluntarily because I “wasn’t that drunk.”
The morning I got picked up from jail I saw my roommates car pulling up and ran as fast as I could to her car. The moment I saw her tears rushed down my face and I realized the true impact of what I had done. She wasn’t too happy with me and I can say that I was so thankful for that. She was stern with me. I was thankful for that too. But she still loved me. She was there to listen and forgive but hold me accountable. I was completely dreading the idea of telling anyone what I had just done.
12 hours past and I finally got the guts to call my father. I had called my mom long before but like any girl calling your dad was a bigger deal. I was scared to death to call my dad but the voice on the other end of the telephone was just what I needed to hear. I quickly got the story out to my dad. I then sat afraid to hear the disappointment but what I heard was much different. What I heard was pure grace. Unconditional love from my father. He didn’t scold me. He didn’t make me feel worse. He just loved me. He knew that I was hurting. He knew that I felt like scum. He didn’t need to reinforce that. So he loved. I will never forget the feeling of that moment. I was completely thrown off guard in the best way possible and felt wanted, loved, and cared for.
A few weeks later my mom came up to visit me and showed me a video of my pastor from home introducing a missions program. At the beginning I wasn’t too sure what to think but by the end of the video I was in tears and overwhelmed with peace. To make a long story short I said yes and a week later I was in Vegas for an interview to sign up for this 10-month missions program that would spend 3 months in Bible College and 6 on the mission field.
My friends thought I was crazy. I really thought I was crazy. I had not opened my Bible voluntarily in years and I was about to go to Bible College. What was I thinking? There were so many questions. So many doubts. But I said yes. I knew that fear was a lie and I wasn’t going to let it change my mind.
Today I was talking to my brother at lunch and he was sharing with me how crazy it is that if I didn’t get my DUI I wouldn’t be going on the World Race. I thought about that and I was seriously just struck by his words. It’s so true. If I wouldn’t have done that cowardly thing who knows where I would be. That’s crazy to think about. So I wrote this post to encourage people of the good bad things can do in your life. Sure, I feel dumb that I got a DUI. I am literally still paying for my DUI in my insurance every month. It haunts me. When I hear of stories of people dying because of drunk drivers I think about how that could have been me. I hear people talk about how stupid people are when they drive drunk and it makes me feel even worse. But I would never take back the things I did. Because they literally change my life for the better.
Because I got a DUI I now have given my life over to His will and not mine. Because I got a DUI I now have a whole other home on the opposite side of the world filled with so much love. Because I got a DUI I now have so many beautiful friends that I have met overseas and have realized the true value of humans. Because I got a DUI I now have a whole different direction for my life. One that is full of adventure and surprises. Jesus changed my life through a stupid decision to drink and drive and now I get to experience more than I ever would have imagined for myself. Because I got a DUI I now get the chance to go on the World Race and have my life changed for the better. I am so thankful.
Bad things can make great. Believe that.
