But this wasn't the end of the story. Sliding momentum brought the right back wheel to smash the kerb. The impact was so severe that the right wheel bent inward, the whole back axle shifted toward the left and the entire body of the car to move up onto the raised footpath. Remarkably, I found myself, inside the car with the seatbelt firmly fastened, and it happened in the blink of an eye. The car on the footpath.
Momentarily I saw a couple of cars 'racing pass' the corner. Then I looked behind me. The fence behind my car absorbed the momentum and helped stop the car in that exact position. I was terrified when I got of the car and saw what was behind the fence. There was a cliff and the rail track underneath! The very 'positioning' of my car after this incident was in itself, in my view a miracle. I just had to give thanks to God for His protection. It could have been far worse.
It is really easy to be thankful when things are going well. But how do we stay thankful when they are not? The Bible says in Ephesians 5:20 "Always give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Always? For everything? Who on earth can truly do that? Humanly speaking it's impossible. But with God at the centre of our lives, everything is possible. A grateful heart develops daily, not in a day. We can start making a habit of thanking God for all the little things that we have been taking for granted.
God had another purpose in this accident. Thankfully no one was hurt but the car was too wobbly and dangerous to drive. It looked like the wheel was just about to come off. Then a friend came to the rescue! He called one of his friends named Ken, who is an engineer and enjoys fixing things. Rather than towing, Ken recommended that I replace the damaged wheel with the spare tyre, then drive slowly to a repair centre and get it fixed. I concurred and Ken opened the boot to get the spare tyre. Surprisingly, he uncovered two books hidden under the tyre. One was a Good News Bible, and believe or not, the title of the other book was, "There's A God in Heaven"!
I suspected Ken is possibly not a Christian and definitely not a regular church-goer. He said, "Wow, God has saved your life today. See? There is a God in heaven!" After we replaced the tyre, Ken said, "All done! I think I believe there is God in heaven. Thank you Father in heaven!" He was right on with Ephesians 5:20 by giving thanks to God the Father!
Today, I left my car with the mechanics. Even though it will be an expensive repair, I thank God for keeping me from bodily injuries, and for wonderful lessons He gave me through this experience. I smiled as I read Romans 8:28 today, which says, "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose."
Daniel Jang from Newcastle, New South Wales has worked for Compassion Australia for the past 2 years. He is currently preparing to join the ship MV Logos Hope, bringing knowledge, help and hope to the people of the world.
