The Family of God

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. (Ephesians 3:14-19 KJV)

There was a steady rain, as there had been all night, causing puddles to form on the right shoulder of the road, extending onto the roadway in spots. It is a five lane road with a turn lane in the center and I was driving in the left southbound lane to keep from hydroplaning where water was standing. It was the morning rush hour with most of the vehicles belonging to working folk like myself.

Out of nowhere came a small gray SUV that crossed from a strip shopping center on the right. I had no time to do anything but make a split-second decision when it became apparent he was heading straight for the right side of my car where my son was sitting. I did the only thing I could, my reflexes responded by veering into the turn lane, making sure I didn’t cross the line into oncoming traffic. Both the SUV and I screeched to a stop, just inches from one another. Either he hadn’t seen me or he had miscalculated how close I was to him.

The simple “Thank you God” I offered up piecemeal over time as the blessings which went into making a successful outcome occurred to me is what I should have done. But my awkward words seem woefully inadequate. I should have thanked him for enabling both drivers to have good reflexes and good brakes, for creating an open space for me to come to a stop in just at the moment I needed it, for both of us having the presence of mind not to panic and make things worse, for seatbelts---- the list goes on. My muddled mind didn’t address all of these as it should. But the one thing I am sure I thanked God for explicitly was the safety of my son.

All I know is that I have never loved my son more than I did in that moment, when I glanced over and saw him shaken, but unharmed. I don’t care to be in such close proximity to a personal tragedy like that again, but I do see how God uses these incidents to refocus us on the basics: what it is to love someone more than self and of how our fate is totally in God’s hands. (Think of the mess we make of it when we try.) He deserves all the credit, even for the love he has planted in our hearts for those we have been given the responsibility of caring for. To God be the glory.

The love we feel for our children we may think knows no bounds, but how much greater is the love of God for his earthly family as made manifest in the death of his son. Events like my near miss serve as a reminder of God’s and his son Jesus Christ’s unsurpassed love for us. Shouldn’t this love be reciprocated, as much as is within our power? It is the least we can do for being able to enjoy the privilege of identifying ourselves as being part of the family of God.

Blessed Father and Son, We strive to offer our unreserved love to you as our maker, our sustainer and our Savior. Amen

Carol (NC)