Choosing Joy

I am thankful for many things.  Yes.  I am grateful for a tiny pine cone in the snow.  Surrounded by crystals of ice, this little pine cone would be passed up by many.  But, God desires us to enjoy even the tiniest of gifts, because when we are able to see those small glimpses of joy, that is when our eyes are truly opened. 

We have been giving many thanks these past few days.  Our Sarah had her first accident as she was heading into work this past Saturday.  She is perfectly fine, well, physically, and is giving praise and thanks to our great God!

The tire, bumper, and fender above, along with very few minor scratches, were the only noticeable damage to her little Nissan Xterra at all.  

She was heading South, in the right lane of the interstate, remember this, when she began to swerve a bit, then heard a loud "pop," and while swerving, somehow, ended up turning in a circle, slamming against the guardrail on the LEFT HAND side facing NORTH!!!  

Our Great God definitely had His mighty hand on her this day!  He always does, but it is in situations such as this where we can see His Hand at work.

She called, talked with Julia, and as she is still getting the details, we are rushing, grabbing shoes, keys, and running to the van.  Steve is one who does not go over the speed limit, but given the circumstances, yes, he did this day, as we rushed toward her.  We are normally a good 30 minutes away; but we were there before that :). 

I had called and she said she was fine, was out of the road, and after calling 911 as her dad asked her to, we were there shortly.  After talking with the wonderful State Trooper who helped her, he was shaking his head and said, "No, she was not out of the road. She was a good foot or so still facing the oncoming traffic!"  He was the nicest Trooper we have seen in awhile.  God definitely sent a great one to help Sarah.  When he first arrived, he parked and ran to help her, he showed me his dash cam and where she was, agh!  He was scared for her, and him!  Traffic still zipped right on by...of course, it's the interstate!

He told her she had to move the car to the other side and she said, "No, she couldn't," and he replied, "Honey, we have to move the car or we are both going to get killed!"  He moved it, had her get in, then drove to the right side, off of the shoulder.  Then, he went back to get his car and bring it over.  Her tire had blown the treads off, and it was leaking air, but we were able to very slowly hobble on down the last two miles to the exit, to a gas station and change it.  Steve drove her car, and the Trooper stayed behind us with his lights on til we got there.  As I said, a wonderful man he was!  We were blessed!

The state trooper finished his report, while Jamin changed the tire, and we watched, being ever grateful for her safety!  

Yes, we serve a Great God!  

And we give Him all praise and glory for keeping her safe!  

He gets all the glory!!!

We took her on to work, just around the corner to Lifeway, left her our van, and we brought her car back.  Check out her blog here, to read her account of the experience.

"Always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father."

Eph. 5:20

"Oh give thanks to the Lord, 

call upon His name;

Make known His deeds among the peoples."

1 Chron. 16:8

"It is good to give thanks to the Lord

And to sing praises to Your name, 

O Most High;

To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning 

And Your faithfulness by night."

Psalm 92:1-2

Still and always giving thanks!

Always Experiencing Him,
Jody