MYSTERIOUS

God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform...
- William Cowper

Delivered #7 to Piano Camp yesterday morning, eager to head over to the hip coffee shop and continue working on my secondary career as an up-and-coming writer. My camper bounced into Clement Hall, and I put the van in reverse and began backing up.

Crunch!

Yep, you're feeling it, too - that knot in your stomach, that sudden shakiness all over your body. Backing a van out of a parking spot should NOT sound like Crunch!

Long story short, I had cut the wheel too tightly. I drug my front left fender into the right rear fender of the sporty car parked next to me. Ugh. Yes, I felt like a doofus. Yes, I was shaking.

Crud! What kind of damage have I done? How much is this going to cost? How is this going to effect my insurance? What is Steve going to think and say? All these thoughts raced through my mind as I hopped out of the van to assess the damage.

The driver of the adjacent car was still sitting in her vehicle when I swiped it. She hopped out. She was shaking, too. "I'm sorry if I get upset and all out-of-control on you," she began. "It's just that, well, I just buried my grandchild this week, and I'm already very upset." She looked at the smudge on her fender (thankfully, no substantial damage - I had been ooching back very slowly). "And now, this -" she gestured at her car. "Why everything at once?" She was blinking back tears.

My heart was broken. This dear lady was already suffering, and now I had added to her already heavy burden.

I've lost a grandbaby, too. Now, even after a year and a half, the thought of that child reaches into my chest at odd moments and squeezes my heart so hard that I can barely breathe.

A campus policeman came and wrote up the accident report. The gracious lady I'd hit - let's call her Grace - never got "all out-of-control", never lost her temper, never acted the least bit unkind. When the policeman left, Grace and I prayed together. We cried and hugged and cried some more. This life is sometimes so bitterly painful. It is, Grace. I know.

God does weird things. Things I don't understand. I really did not want to be in a driving accident yesterday morning. But I am so glad that I met Grace, and that I could share her grief in some small way. Thank you, Jesus, for Grace. Thank you for the babies we grieve. Thank you for the promise of Glory...

Deep in unfathomable mines of never-ending skill, (God) treasures up his bright designs, and works His sovereign will. - from William Cowper's hymn, "God Moves in a Mysterious Way"