My Help -- To God Be The Glory -- Surviving a Wreck

 

Photo by Allison Baker in Great Smoky Mountains 06/2021

It was Monday morning coming off a great fun uplifting weekend.  I had seen the new Space Jam movie, went to a Knights ball game, went to church Sunday morning and made a quick trip to the beach for a boat ride out on the Intercoastal and Atlantic Ocean looking for dolphins.  Best weekend!  

Mondays I make a conscious effort to have a good attitude, I don't go with the flow of "Ugh!  Monday!"  I remember my Jesus Mama saying years and years ago, "Rainy days and Mondays don't get me down when I get to praise Him all day!"  And that still rolls in my head, she's a good voice in my head.  

I start out to work uptown on the 74 commute, sometimes I will take the Charlottetown exit, sometimes I will take the John Belk, or the Brookshire, there's lots of ways to get to work.       Traffic has returned to normal since the pandemic.  So there was usual rush hour traffic.  And anymore the average speed on 74 and these main arteries into uptown is 70 MPH though the speed limit is 50. This particular morning I decided I would take the Brookshire Boulevard hitting either Church street or go on down to Graham Street into work.  It was rainy, and as I was exiting onto the Brookshire I lost control of my car, and spun out.  A truck next to me, his air draft knocked me, and I mostly likely hit a slick spot, hydroplaned, and I was blown off the exit across a small bit of grass, and kept spinning across the John Belk Freeway, missed smashing into a guardrail, somehow popped up on the curb and didn't flip continued to spin, avoided hitting trees, and finally came to a stop in the middle of median. 

Seeing all these objects, I was braced for impact and I said outloud, "Well this is it."  I was ready to be seriously injured, or die, and I should have been seriously injured or dead.  This particular morning I had my Favorites playlist going.  Maybe that's usual for you, but for me, I'm an old lady; an old soul.  I still listen to CD's in my car, and the radio, most of the time it's K-LOVE, but their DJ's are so cheesy that I can't stand it.  It is rare that I play this playlist in the AM.  The song that came on as I was spinning was The Talleys, "My Help/My Tribute" ......I cling to the music I have learned in choir, I've never stopped listening or singing those songs I have been taught.  My Help is from Psalm 121.

                       I lift up my eyes to the mountains—

    where does my help come from?

 

My help comes from the Lord,

    the Maker of heaven and earth.

 

He will not let your foot slip—

    he who watches over you will not slumber;

indeed, he who watches over Israel

    will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord watches over you—

    the Lord is your shade at your right hand;

the sun will not harm you by day,

    nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all harm—

    he will watch over your life;

the Lord will watch over your coming and going

    both now and forevermore.

I’m writing this to point glory to God! I should not have walked away from that unharmed, but I did and that is all glory to God! In life and in death He gets the glory whether I walked away this time or not….He gets the glory. My only glory is to Christ. Whatever He wants to do with my life, it’s for His glory. I have told God that many a morning, “do with my life what would bring the most impact for Your name!” Take it, save it…

The only damage done (that I have found out about so far), I had 2 busted wheels, and I need an alignment.  My tires are good.  There was no other damage done to my car.  It needs a serious car wash...and several because pressure washing and 1 run through there is still dirt.  

Earlier that Monday morning before even getting up I was just laying in bed thinking about the boat ride out on the Atlantic. There was a small window of time that I was getting miserable and worn out. I was drenched, cold, no warm sun to help dry out, it was pouring rain, most everyone else was huddled under this small canopy. I had to make a decision to be content and okay in that moment and to keep fighting through. Looked a lot like life. That’s what Paul meant when he wrote, “I can do all things…” (Phil. 4:13) Whether I’m soaked to the bone in a storm, on a boat, or looking sexy and dry on shore sweating, wishing for a breeze or splash of water to cool down, God gives the strength to do both; to be content in both; to have humbleness in both. God has given me the strength to survive this wreck and to deal with the stresses that have come along with it....

I have a lot of pride in my car, I know I'm sexy in my ride, I love my rims, I love that it's a convertible and I can drop that top. Now I have mismatched rims, and it's dirty, and there is so much other work that needs to be done on it....but God has and will continue to give me the strength to keep riding. He is with us through this journey to the destination.

Monday night, as I laid my head, I poured out praise and thanks to God once more, I had been all day.  But my heart responded once more with this song I will post below....

All my life he has been so faithful, so good.