It was a beautiful Wednesday afternoon, 2 days before my birthday. I was going out of town with my best friend the next morning so I skipped orchestra practice to go shopping in Spartanburg for myself a present. It was the most relaxing couple of hours I had had in a while. I grabbed some Chick-fil-A and headed back towards Hendersonville.
I was driving down I-26 minding my own business when I noticed the car in front of me had an EXTREMELY low back tire. My first instinct shocked me, because I knew I needed to get the driver's attention and get them to pull over. (Something you should know about me, I am an extreme introvert. I don't talk to strangers, I don't make eye contact with people, I don't let people use my pens, etc.) So I compromised and told myself if there was a man in the car I would not stop. I pulled up beside the car, and there were 2 ladies so I motioned for them to pull over. I pulled off in front of them and ran back and told them about their tire. At that point I noticed it was FLAT. The ladies thanked me, and ran back to my car. I got in, put my seat belt on, looked behind me and pulled back onto the road.
That is all I remember. My next memory is a man's arm reaching into my car, taking my seat belt off and pulling me out of the car. There were people running towards me yelling at me to move because the car was smoking.
Everything else I know about that night has been what the witnesses told me. I drove 1.3 miles unconscious down the interstate. I was all over the road; the state trooper estimated my speed at over 100 mph. When the witnesses called 911 they told the operator to bring a body bag because there were no survivors. Witnesses also told the state trooper that I got out of the vehicle on my own, that no one was around the car at that point.
I was taken to the local hospital where my friends came to meet me after they had seen the car; needless to say they thought they were going to the morgue. I remember the state trooper coming into my room at the hospital, and I argued with him because he told me I got out of the car on my own. I told him I didn’t remember anything about what had happened but I knew for a fact that a man had gotten me out of my car. He leaned over and said, “I am a Christian, and there is no doubt your angel was with you tonight.” I left the hospital that night with no injuries, beside glass embedded into my skin, and a bruise from my seat belt.
That was 5 years ago today. Looking back I know that I was running from what God was calling me to do. God was calling me to spend more time with Him, and wanted me to surrender my life to His will and to become more involved in missions. Today, I can see all the signs where He tried to get my attention before the wreck, and where I ran from Him.
I am THANKFUL today for that car wreck. That is the first time I truly realized His love for me, and His purpose for my life.
For those of you reading this today, I pray if God is trying to get your attention please listen the first time. Don’t be foolish like me and run…because eventually He will get your attention one way or another. Just ask Jonah…he was swallowed by a whale when he ran.
I never saw my car, hearing people talk about it, and body bags…I couldn't bare to see. One of the witness got my camera out of my car and took pictures of the accident.
