Gratitude...A Great Goal

I was on my way to a party and I took a wrong turn.  I pulled into the parking lot of a golf course to look at the directions and turn around to head to the right road.  While I was in the parking lot, a guy in a big truck backed up rather quickly and slammed into the side of my car!  The driver had been drinking in the clubhouse, and now he was in a hurry to get on the road.  He was very apologetic, and it was clear he should not have gotten behind the wheel of his truck.  He took complete responsibility for the accident and called his insurance company.  He told me he was going to go back to the clubhouse and sober up before driving anywhere.

My initial reaction was disappointment that my new Chevy Malibu was severely damaged, and that I would be late to the party.  However, my mind shifted to think about what could have happened.  If this semi-drunk guy had not hit my car, he would have headed out of the parking lot and down the road and might have hit someone!  Thank you, Lord, for putting me in this parking lot at just the right moment to stop this guy from driving on the road!

I got my car repaired and it was good as new again. 

Two months later, I left my car parked on the street overnight in front of our house.  In the morning, I took my dog outside as my husband was leaving for work.  I said, “Honey… look!  Someone’s car is totaled!”  My husband walked over to me and we both looked at a Chevy Malibu down the street in front of the neighbor’s house.  Dave said, “Oh no!  That’s YOUR car!”

The driver had hit my car so hard it moved all the way in front of the neighbor’s house.  My beautiful Chevy Malibu was totaled.  I called the police, and wondered why and how this had happened!  As I waited for the police to arrive, I said a silent prayer to God.  Lord, please bring something good out of this, the way you brought something good out of it when my car was hit in the parking lot.  Please God!  Thank you for allowing this to happen.

Immediately, I felt in my heart that my car saved the driver’s life.  When the police arrived, I showed them where my car had been parked in front of my house.  There was a big tree next to the place where my car had been parked.  We could see that the impact to my car was from an angle at the back left corner of my car.  If my car had not been parked there, the driver would have slammed into the tree, and I believe he surely would have been killed.  I felt a deep conviction in my heart that God used my car to save the driver’s life.

The police searched the area and found a license plate laying in the street.  It belonged to the driver, and the police went over to his house a few blocks away.  The police told me later that the man was still drunk when they arrived at his house.  A week later, I saw that man on his front lawn playing ball with a little boy.  I wonder if he knows that my car saved his life!

My insurance company took care of everything and recovered the cost from the driver's insurance company.  I ended up with a brand new Chevy Malibu, and I love it (I still have it).  I am happier with the newer model; I love the color, the interior, the upgraded features.  When I think about the other Malibu, I am thankful and I remember how God gave me His perspective on the incidents with that car.  Because I had opened up my heart with gratitude, God showed me His purpose.  God’s perspective gave me joy!  That joy took the place of the normal human reaction of self-pity that I could have experienced (“why was I in the parking lot at that moment…how unlucky!” Or, “why did I leave my car parked outside that night?  Look what happened!!”).

Those two experiences with my Malibu help me to remember to thank God before I have a chance to put myself into a self-pity mode in disappointing situations.  This approach helps me to open my heart to see things from God’s perspective.  It also helps me to avoid unnecessary worry and anxiety, which can take a toll on my attitude and health and erase my joy!

For 2017, why not make Gratitude a goal?  Plan ahead!  Make a decision to thank God for a confusing or disappointing situation.  Ask God for wisdom.  Ask Him to give you His perspective on the situation.  If you want some practice, think of one specific thing in your life right now that is causing you to have self-pity, and get on your knees and thank God for that specific situation.  Ask God for wisdom; ask for His perspective.  Ask Him to replace your self-pity with joy!

What a great goal!

Devotion

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Prayer:

     

Thank you, Lord, for using my Chevy Malibu to teach me so much about gratitude.  Thank you for answering my prayers and showing me your perspective on situations that may be disappointing.  I pray that you would use these illustrations to inspire people to make a “gratitude goal” for 2017, so they will experience the joy of discovering your perspective!  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

© 2016 Linda Lijewski