Last Christmas, a man rammed into us.
It was the night before Christmas Eve.
Our car had come to a stop, at a quiet intersection I have known all my life. There was hardly a soul on the road.
But just as our car rolled to a pause, we felt this jolt. With it came the terrible sound of rubber against metal. I watched in horror as the passenger door caved in towards me. Our car screeched and slid.
My heart nearly jumped out my chest. My body was thrown to the side. My legs ached badly.
I immediately looked back at the kids, and then at my mom who had been driving us that night. They were startled. But thank God, they seemed fine.
Then, holding my breath, I slowly looked down at my body, expecting the worse. But I had not been touched! The car door, however, was now crashed in before me.
The driver had missed me by a handful of inches.
Within no time, we saw flashing lights coming towards us.
“Are you hurt, miss?” I heard a man’s voice ask me.
Someone helped me out. I sat down on the edge of the sidewalk, staring at a car completely destroyed, surrounded by a blur of pulsating red and yellow lights… my head spinning, my heart still pounding. The cold mist hit my face. I wanted to cry.
But the tears were held back by an overwhelming sense of relief. I knew I was okay… we were okay, and it could have been much, much worse.
“I am okay.” I managed to tell the police officer in a shaky voice.
But it had been a close call.
So now, a year later, I sit besides the gleam of our little humble Christmas tree, and I am hit with the sobering reality that there are likely a million other unseen ways God has been protecting me. Ways I will never fully know. Inches I will never see.
But sometimes, honestly… I want more than just inches. I want miles of safety. Sometimes life does hit right on.
I will be the first to say, I can’t always make sense of this world.
Yet I can’t deny, some of my clearest insights have come out of my darkest nights.
Slowly, I am learning to trust that God indeed has a plan for our lives. A good plan. A plan of hope. It may not be an easy path. But nothing can ever thwart Him from finishing the good work He has started in us.
Nothing.
That means, those of us still granted breath, waking up to each new morning, in whatever condition, is a reminder that there is purpose… to believe a little more, hope a little harder, love the life we’ve been given with more gratitude.
At this moment, in fact, our Christmas tree is casting a curious mix of light and shadows onto our walls, and I can’t shake it. I can’t forget it… that it would have been a very different Christmas had it not been for those handful of inches.
And I realize again, there is nothing more impactful, more jolting… than when our very souls collide head-on with grace.
http://www.invitedbygrace.comFor I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. ~ Jeremiah 29:11
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. ~ Philippians 1:6
invited by grace 
I am so glad you all came out of that car crash unscathed! You are so right! We don’t see all the other times God has protected us and saved us from! We have so much to be grateful and the very fact we are alive is living testimony of that truth! Merry Christmas to you and your family Kim! God is so good…..😄
Rolain
Thank you Rolain! I agree, there is much to be thankful for… I am in awe of God’s daily graces. Merry Christmas to you!
Wow, Kim – So so scary! I’m so thankful God protected you all. What a great perspective you shared and I so appreciate your honesty. I, too, tend to find myself wanting so much more than “those few inches” – learning to allow him to stretch my trust in him is a daily exercise! Continuing to love your posts, sweet lady. Thanks for sharing such beautiful words and perspective! ❤
Kami, thank you so much for your sweet words. It was indeed a scary situation. But I do look back in such humility and awe. I know God has granted me so many undeserved graces. It is not always easy, but I find that the only way through sometimes, is to cling to his goodness no matter what…. yes, it does take so much trust! Thankfully, He walks with us! Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to you, too!! ❤
Inches is all we have…it is what faith is made of. Wonderful post. Glad you are okay and thank you for sharing such meaningful insight.
“Inches is all we have”…. I think you have come up with an even better title! 🙂 Thank you for your encouraging comment. Wishing you a wonderful Christmas!
I’m so glad both you and your family were okay. That idea of inches is a powerful one that I will hold onto. If we could only see how much God protects us everyday, we would be awestruck I believe. The scriptures you ended with are two of my favorites. Thanks Kim!
Hannah….thank you for your comment. “If we could only see how much God protects us everyday, we would be awestruck.” That has been on my heart and mind lately. I think it is easy to begin to question God’s goodness when we see difficult things in our lives… or even in the lives of others…. things that seem as if there is no God who protects. But then, I am beginning to see that we only see in part what is truly going on in our lives… and that yes, there are so many ways God is in fact protecting us, ways… mere inches… that we really can’t even see!
Love this! I came to the Lord about 10 years ago through a car accident. The paramedics who were on scene said that the car was crushed to the point of being just ‘inches’ around my entire body. He definitely got my attention and I ended up giving my life to Him through it.
So glad that the Lord protected you and your sweet family, Kim! Thanks for a beautiful post reminding us that HE is our protector!
Megan, wow… that is an incredible testimony. I thank God that you were not harmed… and that instead, it brought you to give your life to Him! Thank you for sharing this! I am sitting here in such awe because of your story now!
Enjoy your holiday with your family, Kim! God truly works miracles!
Thank you Veronica! We did have a great holiday season with our family and friends. Hope yours was wonderful, too. So sorry for the delayed reply here!
So often it really is just inches, and I do think it’s often to show us his grace and hand in our lives. What a beautiful spin on a scary story, Kim!
Yes Chelsi! God does show us His grace…. very obviously sometimes. What a wake up call it is to imagine that it all could have been so different. But yet, I know there are times, His hand feels far away …. and I wonder, where is He? I am learning to trust in not my own understanding, but in remembering He is a good and gracious God through all things… and I am so thankful we don’t have to walk this life alone!
So true, Kim. It can stop us in our tracks when we think of the many ways God protects us, our families, the world, through the power of His will. His grace and favor is worthy of our awe.
Tiffany, I have been thinking so much about God’s plan for our lives…. and it is very humbling. How easy it is to feel I deserve certain things… yet, everything… every single breath… is an act of grace. “His grace and favor is worthy of our awe.” I think if we truly believed this powerful statement, we would all be filled with such insight and gratitude. 🙂
Thank you for sharing this touching reminder. This resonated with me as all the busyness swirls around. We need to see the abundance in the reason for the season and what He has given us. Thanks and Merry Christmas!
I am so glad that you stopped by here! I am there with you…. busyness is swirling around me, too. I wrote this because I could feel myself slipping away from truly seeing the abundance in my life… and forgetting the miracle it is to have this opportunity to celebrate the beauty of Christmas for what it really is. I hope you are finding peace this season! Merry Christmas to you!
Wow, this is powerful. I am now thinking of all the ways that God has blessed and protected me. It is mind blowing, and those are just the ones that promptly come to mind. Thank you for such a wonderful post. And Merry Christmas!
I am so sorry for the delayed reply! I am so glad that this post encouraged you to think of all the ways God has blessed and protected you. It is quite amazing when we really stop to think about the unseen ways He works. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas…. and are now enjoying your adventures this new year. 🙂