The Happy Car Accident
July 18, 2020 was a hard day. I had received a text message from our daughter saying that her fiancé had been in a car accident. A few minutes later he video called, clearly in shock and needing stitches.

As a mother what do you do? What do you tell your children when they are experiencing a string of events that just get tougher as each is piled on the other? You know from your own experience that God always brings out good, but how can I relate that to someone who is at the starting line in life?
There is a dangerous prayer that I pray. I don’t ask God to make my children’s life free of hardships, but I ask God to bring enough things into their lives so they will learn that He is in control and can be trusted.
As we exchanged phone calls and text messages we reminded them “…that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God… (Rom. 8:28).” I knew the words sounded cliche but once you have experienced God’s miraculous hand, they are golden words.
I closely followed the day’s events with my new friend, “the mother of the groom.” We took solace in knowing our hearts felt the same and shared any tidbit of news, actively looking for the “good” in the day. Soon we got word that he would be OK and that a friend of the kids stitched his laceration saving them a large bill at the emergency room.
In the days that followed we could clearly see God patiently teaching His young children that He is in control! The car was written off. At first this caused them much distress. Our soon to be son-in-law was scheduled to start a new job in two weeks in another state. How would he get there? His current job restricted him from leaving the property because of Covid. It seemed like everything was against them…but was it?
My husband took several days off work to shop for a replacement car. Everything we found in their price range either belonged in a junkyard or turned out to be a scam. We traveled home, from what we said would be our last day of car shopping. As we drove we prayed that God would show the kids, without a shadow of a doubt, that He was in control!
Shortly after returning home my husband attended a meeting where he spoke with a friend about the week’s events. (This is where God steps in!) The friend happened to have been scheduled to fill in for someone at a used car lot for one day. He knew of a car that had just come in. If we would meet him first thing in the morning he was sure he could set us up with what sounded like the perfect car! My husband had been exhausted from the long day and had nearly skipped that meeting. We both believe God gave him an extra nudge so he would attend!
The car was everything the kids wanted and more! Although it was twenty years old it was like new with only 77,000 miles on it. It had leather interior, heated seats, heated mirrors and windows, brand new tires, and a new battery, all within their limited budget. It was the answer to all our prayers, but most of all an answer to a prayer that God would make it known that He was in control.
My heart sang as the kids related how, what had seemed to be a bad situation turn into good. The car that had been totaled had a mechanical issue that would have been a costly repair. The insurance company was generous and awarded him a healthy sum. Within days of needing to travel to the new job, the “new” car sat in our driveway waiting to be revealed. There was no doubt in any mind that God’s fingerprints were all over the events right from the beginning.
“And we know that God causes
everything to work together for the good of those who love God
and are called according to His purpose for them.”
Romans 8:28 NLT