A Little Prayer Can Go A Long Way
A Little Prayer Can Go A Long Way
Have to you ever had the thought to stop your day and just thank the Good Lord that you are alive and surviving life? That little nudging in the back of your mind and heart that you need to slow down to give the creator some of your time? Or the thought that maybe you should be a little more careful in life? I have on many occasions.
I have always tried to respond to these thoughts quickly or disaster can hit, or just a bad day. I never know what will happen next in life, and these promptings can really help me. This day was no different......a little prayer can go a long way.
It all started on a hot July morning. I was talking to my mom and the idea hit me to drive out for the long weekend. I didn't have class or work so why not go and be with my family. It had been a while and I missed them dearly.
After I hung up with a excited mom, I started to pack for the drive. I had to finish some homework and go to work then I would head out. As I packed I started to think of the song my mom sang to me as a child.
As I hummed this song, I started to ponder for a moment. Is he really there? Does he really answer all my prayers? In that moment I got a feeling of love in my heart. He knows what is best for me and he can help all along the way.
I finished packing and started for the door with all my stuff. My roommate helped me load up the car and gave me a wave. She usually comes with me but she had family over. So it looked like I was taking the long drive by myself. Closing the trunk, I looked at my faithful car and smiled. The lord truly had blessed me with this car.
Hours later after my shift at work, I was in the car driving home. Jamming out to music and dancing without a care in the world as I headed east towards home. Home...I thought. A place of family and loved ones. People that have blessed my life in so many ways. How I missed them.
About an hour in I had to stop and stretch my long legs. I ran into a gas station I had always used, for a few moments. While I was in there, something caught my eye. I had never noticed before. It was a wall of postcards. One in particular caught my eye, it was a picture of a beautiful black bear. The Post card had different specs on it about the black bear. Confused at why this postcard intrigued me so much I moved on.
Stretched and ready to go, I hopped back in the car and head up the mountain. Keeping an eye out for any animals, I looked over at the empty seat and sighed. Wishing that I had someone to talk too and to help look for wildlife. Shrugging my shoulders I got that feeling that I should pray again for safety.
Almost wanting to ignore this, because I had driven this road so many times, giving in to my human nature I prayed. It was a little short prayer but a sincere one. Praying for safety and protection, I also offered up my gratitude that I could go home so easily. Not many people can just hop in the car and go. It gets a little more complicated than that. Ending the prayer I straightened my shoulders and put on some more serious music, or calming you could say.
Heading up the hill, I was over come with a sense of peace. Odd I thought. That's not normal, usually I am anxious to get home. But for some reason I was enjoying the drive and looking out across the beautiful creations of God. I wasn't even phased with the fact that I had to drive slower up the mountain due to construction. Curve around curve I pondered deeply about life. This too was a little odd.
I suddenly felt the urge to slow down for the next curve. I let off the gas to allow the car to slow on it's own as we went up the hill. I had just put something in the passenger seat when it all happened. It happened so fast I didn't even have time to brake. As my life flashed before my eyes. Seconds turned to minutes and it was all slow motion.
When I had put tissue on the seat, I was looking at the road more towards the passenger seat. That's when I saw it..... a big black lump jump out in front of me. I saw the two ears and the shoulder's came up over the hood. With my foot moving towards the break, I braced for impact. Knowing this could go very bad......A silent prayer when up to heaven that I could make it home tonight. Bracing myself against the seat and turning my head so I could still see, but enough to avoid some damage if he came through the windshield. We collided.....I was going 55 mph and he was going pretty fast too.
That's when the world picked up speed again......I was slammed forward and my arms locked, preventing me from slamming my face on the steering wheel. I felt the pain shoot up both arms as I looked up and saw a bear! He was flying through the air, hit the cliff on the other side of the road and rolled for a while. In the split second I was at a full stop in less than 30 seconds. The bear had stopped me, doing so he also took the force. Getting slammed back into the seat, I regained my wits and pulled over.
Sitting there breathing heavily and in complete shock....I had just hit a bear!! That's when I regained my senses and got out of the car to asses the damage. I cringed as I looked at the front of my car. I nearly passed out when I saw the drop off only feet from my car, where he had jumped out of. Then I flipped around to see if he was alright. When I looked I knew, there was no way he could of survived that. Wanting a closer look at him, I checked my car quickly to see if I could still drive. After being satisfied I was ok for the moment, I headed toward the bear.
When out of no where I heard a voice, as if it came from the car, "get in the car!". I looked back at the bear when the voice and feeling came again. "Get in the car!" Curious to why I was feeling this way I looked around the mountain, that's when I heard the brush. Something else was coming and it was big.
Getting in the car quickly, I took out my phone to call someone and found out I had no signal.... Saying another prayer of gratitude I headed up the mountain again. Looking for signal and a place to pull over to check the car again. Finding a good spot I got out and saw really how much damage had been caused. My head light was hanging there and the front bummer was hanging loose. I took some pictures and snapped it all back into place. Looking around for more damage or someone to help. I was left with no one.
I got back in the car and drove another hour or so before I got signal. Still shaky, I pulled over and called my mom. What mother wants to hear their child say, "mom, I am ok.......I just hit a bear". Not really the most pleasant conversations. Limping the car home I did make it home safe, just took a bit longer. The best feeling ever was to be home.....but after that I felt like I never wanted to leave again.
As the days passed I came out of shock and realized I had some whiplash to my back and neck. But also the miracle of it all was my prayer was answered. Some may say other wise. But I know that thanks to that little prayer I am still here to tell the tale. For insurance purposes I had people look at it to tell me how much damage was there. After each one they would scratch their head or look at my funny and say something like, "and you walked away?"
After hitting a 400 lb bear anyone would be grateful to walk away. I was told that if the bear would of hit in any other spot other than where he had hit, it would of been different. If I would of had a passenger that would of be awful. I could of went over the edge, he could of ended up in my lap or even the airbags could of went off. I was told they should of with the impact, but when we got in under the hood, we saw that everything else was bent but the body where the airbag is.
I am living proof that a little prayer can go along way. No matter where you are in life, we can always offer up a prayer of thanks or help. Also, I don't recommend ignoring those promptings either. I would follow through with it and remember.....He answers every child's prayer.
From the life of Just An Ordinary Girl.....
The damage is all under the hood, but that is all that happened. It should of been worse.
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