I preach grace and forgiveness, and I really do my best to practice what I preach (though I’d be lying if I said it was always easy.) But I think I was just in the middle of a God-thing that gives me goosebumps.
On Saturday, I was traveling home from a meeting, and our my car was hit by another car. The damage wasn’t terrible, (my husband guesses around $800) and the car was still drivable. But we learned that the girl who hit us had just bought the car, and didn’t have insurance. She was completely at fault, and I could have reported the accident. But something in her eyes, along with a voice in my head that wouldn’t be silenced, told me to give her a break. We agreed that if she’d pay us the money in cash, that we wouldn’t file a report, so we followed her to the ATM– where she had WAY less money than that. She gave us what she had, and we agreed that she’d mail me a check as soon as she got paid. It wouldn’t have been my husbands choice, but he said since it was my car that I should make the choice. And we drove off, having exchanged information, but knowing that there was a fair to middlin’ chance that I might get taken advantage of. Honestly, I was at peace with that, and never regretted it… and would not have regretted it, even if it meant being stuck with an ugly car.
Today I got an email from the girl who hit us, saying that she was the daughter of a baptist minister, and that she has been at odds with her family’s faith, and that her own faith has really fallen off, now being unsure if she even believes at all. She feels like God put me in her life (though neither of us would’ve picked those circumstances…) and seems to be overwhelmed at the grace I showed her, because she rightly attributes it to God’s grace. And now she’s asking questions, and wants to be able to talk through some of her questions with me. (And she’s reminded me of her promise to pay as soon as she gets paid.)
Everyone I’ve told about the wreck, and about the chance I took, looked at me as if I were crazy… and maybe I was. But this time, I think my decision was God-inspired, and I just happened to be smart enough to listen. (On this thing anyway…that’s not always the case, I’m afraid) At a time when I needed a word from God, I was given one… and for that I’m grateful.
You are so like me in that respect. When I do something that feels right to me, and not to anyone else, I always get BIG gifts. Love, Aunt Bobbie
I don’t think you are crazy – I think you were attuned to that still small voice that sometimes nudges us to do things that don’t make sense.