Mark Sorensen I would file this under the “top five” scariest moments of my life. Easy.
Nicholas, our first born, was almost two years old and we were taking him to my mom and dad’s so that Nycki, my wife, could visit the doctor for her nine-month pregnancy check up. Needless to say, she was due and ready to give birth and Gabbi was soon to enter the world.
It was somewhere between Marshall, TX, and Jefferson, TX, that an 18-wheeler sped by us and we lost control of our car on a slick, rainy road, going into a dead spin on the busy highway (side note: “Hey Carrie Underwood, I have about 16 years on you with the rights to the song, Jesus Take the Wheel”). If you have ever hydroplaned before, you know what an incredibly helpless feeling this can be. Literally, you just settle in and pray. Ok, and scream. You pray and scream;-) Thankfully, by the grace of God, we slid into the median of the highway and, because of the wet conditions and mud, we stuck in the grass and stopped just short of flying into oncoming traffic on the highway.
There we were. Speechless. Sitting in the mud. In the middle of the median.
I assess the situation. All’s well in the front seat. Then I turn around and look in the back seat at my son. I could see the fear in his eyes. I mean, it was terrifying. I can’t deny that. So, the only thought I had was to throw my hands up in the air and exclaim, “Weeee!” as if we had just finished a ride at the fair (don’t judge… it was the best idea I had). I follow my shout of enjoyment and ask the question, “Wasn’t that fun?” I will never forget his response. His eyes welled up with tears and he said one word, “No.” This two-year-old just schooled me. He was right. It wasn’t fun. It was horrifying. Then, what followed was just a natural response of truth and words straight from the heart: I looked at him and said…
“Nic, look at me. You’re ok. We’re ok. Eyes on me.”
Last Sunday we began our Lenten series in Harvest where we are looking at the Names of God, starting with this one: El Roi, the God who Sees Me. We looked at the story of Hagar in Genesis 16 and were reminded that, no matter how out of control the circumstances, we are never beyond the sight and control of our Heavenly Father. So, to you, my friend, maybe you feel as if things are out of control. Maybe your heart is/has been under attack. Maybe you feel like circumstances are out of control and you have no idea how you’re going to correct what’s spinning.
Stop.
Eyes on God. He’s trying to get your attention. Fix your eyes on His. Let His truth, His promises of protection, and His grace and mercy fill you with His peace. Remember Jesus’ words: “In this world you will have trouble but, take heart… I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
