Hi all, it’s a Laura takeover week for Week 27! Something happened to me last week that I wanted to share with you all...
I got stuck on one of the worst car journeys of my life. A journey which should have taken less than an hour took three hours instead. Having said this, I also want to note up front that the jam was because of an accident in which someone died. I am aware that, in light of this, a three hour journey is a very small issue. My heart goes out to their loved ones; please do pray for them. Yet, I still want to share because I felt God connect with me on the journey.
A lot of the traffic from the motorway, closed as a result of the accident, ended up going down single-track country lanes with only passing places for relief. For the most part, we muddled along ok. At the worst crunch point though, it took over an hour to go three miles. Some of you may be thinking; why didn’t you just turn around?! Even if I had managed to make the turn in a passing place, I didn’t know if it was going to be just as bad now the way I had already come.
The most aggravating moment came at a point when we had squeezed three cars into a passing bay to let a few cars through the opposite way. As the oncoming cars came down, another rogue car intentionally overtook those of us patiently waiting in the bay and completely blocked the way of the oncoming cars. I had to get out, walk back down to the queueing cars behind us to help them back up; all so that we could get the rogue car into the bay and finally let the oncoming cars through.
Reader, I am sorry to say, I full on lost my temper with the rogue car. I was shouty-level mad. I couldn’t believe they thought themselves so much more important than everyone or that they thought we weren’t trying to do our best to get everyone through. I could feel the panic, the despair, and the claustrophobia building up within me. I really felt like I was never going to get out of there. I was really close to tears and shaking lightly. Worst of all, I really needed a wee. I sat back down in my driver’s seat and reminded myself of the ‘correct response’. What I really needed was to pray.
Earlier this year I had Covid for the fifth time. Every time I have had it, I have missed out on social things that I really didn’t want to miss out on. The third and fourth time there was a lot of whyyyyyy meeeee (if I’m being honest). The last time I had it though, I stopped asking why and started asking what. What, if anything, am I supposed to learn? What is God speaking to me about? What can I do while I’m stuck in this place?
Perhaps the answer to all of these questions is nothing. Yet, as I prayed in my car, the last question popped back into my head; what can I do while I’m stuck in this place? I started by praying for the whole jam; let God’s hand be over it all. I pulled up next to a woman and was sat opposite her for a good few minutes. She looked downcast and so I asked her if she was ok. She told me that she was late for an important appointment and she was worried about missing it. I told her I was someone that prays and, if she wanted, I would pray for her as I went along. She gave a small, dismayed plea: ‘yes, please!’. I had some fairy cakes in my car originally intended for the meeting that I was missing at that very moment. Instead, I offered one to her and I hope it brought her a small amount of joy.
Another couple I was stuck opposite for a while were about to miss their flight. It was their first holiday as a couple in years. I also offered them cakes and prayed for them as I went along my way. The next time we stopped I offered cakes to the two cars ahead. I went from being the shouty person to being the giver of cakes. I much preferred being the cake giver. God didn’t part the cars like the sea and make a way for me to drive through. He didn’t change the situation but he did change me. More than that, he invited me to partner with him and gave me opportunities to bring a small amount of light. What more could I want?
There are many times in life we can ask why. To me, it has begun to feel like a waste of time. I might never know why I’ve had Covid so many times. I might never know why it took me three hours to do a fifty minute journey. It could also just be the simple facts of life; sometimes you get stuck because there was an accident and the road was closed. Such is life. So instead of why, I’ve started asking what. What is God leading me to do while I am in this situation? I hope this is something I remember not just while I am stuck but in my everyday living too.
Thank you all so much for looking at story of God connecting with his people. Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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It's so beautiful that you were able to turn this around by putting your faith in God and being open to listening to his guidance. How wonderful that in writing this you have also created a space for prayer for the families of those in the accident. ❤️