After having an excellent after-hours conversation with my boss, I feel inspired to (finally) write another post on this blog. I apologize for not updating this blog more frequently; I started a new (awesome) job and a technical training course at the local college and have not had a ton of free time allocated towards blog posts and whatnot. However, I definitely feel like the Lord wants me to share these thoughts. I hope and pray that they can be used in some way, shape or form to encourage you.
Basically, my boss and I were discussing how we've gotten where we are today; our relationships with Christ, our wives, families, jobs, and so on...As he and I shared with each other about our (and our families') history, the recurring thought of, "only by the grace and mercy of the Lord...." sounded in my mind. Now, I'm not going to share much detail regarding his life, but I am more than happy (and willing) to share a little about mine.
To start, it is only by the grace and mercy of the Lord that I am still alive this very moment, for numerous reasons. One of the main reasons being that my Dad and I were in a pretty bad head-on-collision accident back in May 1999, on the way to my eighth birthday party. The young woman in her black Saturn coupe, rushing to turn into her driveway, thought that she could beat my Dad and I traveling at 60mph in our sparkling blue Ford 150; needless to say, it didn't end too well. I vividly remember reading my Star Wars: Episode 1 book, listening to Fat Joe on the radio, then all-of-a-sudden feeling a sudden jerk and screeching of tires as my dad attempted to swerve and miss the Saturn that just cut across in front of us, then flying down an embankment and striking a telephone poll; I can still smell the radiator fluid and smoke pouring from the engine bay; I can still see all of the hot dog condiments strewn from the backseat all the way up to the dashboard; I can still feel the pain after my head striking the dashboard, so hard that the air condition vent that my forehead struck was completely destroyed; I can still remember crawling over the center console, exiting from the driver side of the truck (my door was jammed shut against the telephone pole), walking up the embankment, seeing the small black Saturn completely, the driver unconscious....only by the grace and mercy of the Lord.
That accident had a tremendous impact on my life; mostly a negative one. I recall being scared to even ride in a vehicle after that, much less the front seat! I was always the child that never wanted to wear a seatbelt, saying things like "Yeah, well WE'VE never been in an accident.....why do I need to wear it?"; it was a challenge to convince me to even wear it. Thank God, I was buckled up on the warm sunny Saturday in May 1999.
I have numerous stories that I could share with you, regarding how it is only by the grace of God that I am typing this very sentence; however, I do not want to bore your head completely off. Thank you for sticking with me for this long! Since that accident in May 1999, there have been numerous incidents and accidents that halted me in my tracks, leaving me with thoughts such as , "Wow.....that could have ended MUCH worse; I literally could be dead right now; what was I thinking?". However, for your sake and my time, I will not go into the details of those occurrences. However, I can leave you with the encouragement that the Lord has given me on this night: I am here, still living and breathing on this Earth, for a reason. There have been plenty of times that my life could have ceased altogether, and other moments where I just wanted to give up, but the Lord has been there, faithfully, by my side through the good times and the bad; "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8 (NIV).
To whomever happens to come across this blog post, be encouraged....the King of Kings and Lord of Lords know you by name; "Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid...." Luke 12:7 (NIV). I'm not sure what exactly you might be going through
right now, but I AM sure that in some way, shape or form, I can to you. I
could have gone through similar struggles, temptations, trials, that you
are facing. I tried overcomin I'm not sure
what exactly you might be going through right now, but I AM sure that in
some way, shape or form, I can to you. I could have gone through similar
struggles, temptations, trials, that you are facing. I tried
overcoming them by my own might g them by my own might
Only by the grace and mercy of the Lord....have I lived to the age of 22; married the love of my life; served as a missionary/intern in Haiti for six months; witnessed and testified the Gospel of Jesus Christ to total strangers; prayed the salvation prayer with those strangers; acquired a job that I truly enjoy; have let the past be the past and set my sight on what lies ahead; truly forgiven all the people that have hurt me; gotten out of my 'comfort zone', making responsible decisions; and even typing this very sentence and much, much more....
A man's heart plans his way,
but the LORD directs his steps.
Proverbs 16:9 (NKJV)
