Sunday Story: Crashing into Questions

Well, since I'm getting back on the blogging horse I thought I'd restart my Sunday's Story tradition again.

In 2000 I was in a terrible car accident. I was driving our brand spanking new hunter green Hyundai Elantra we had named the "Cilantro" down Ellsworth. The speed limit between Baseline and Guadalupe was 50 per hour. I was in no hurry and by my self going out to visit my sister in law, Sage. I was in good spirits because as I had come to the off ramp from the 60 to go down Ellsworth I had a beautiful over whelming sense of calm come over me as I looked over at my old friend Flat Iron mountain of the Superstitions, so I turned off the radio and enjoyed the peaceful feeling. I remembered after passing Baseline that I didn't think it was necessary to drive the speed limit so I slowed down to 40 mph since the traffic was so light. 

As I drove closer to Guadalupe a retirement community was coming up on my right. I could see in the distance a large Gold Lincoln hanging out and looking for traffic to clear so she could cross & turn left. Up way ahead of me was a lifted Toyota truck. I was not following this truck very closely (more than 100 yards) but sadly the little old woman driving the Lincoln didn't see me at all behind that lifted truck. After he passed she darted out and had intended to wait in the street for traffic to clear on the other side. There was no time for me to react and all I remember was a giant BANG and then opening my eyes to the loud reving of my engine as it was running away getting higher and higher.

 There was all this smoke and my steering wheel was cover in a white cloth material and I was dazed wondering where it came from. My door was crushed in and I was hurting but the revving sound of the engine going faster and faster with the smoke made me panic beyond anything I'd ever experienced before. I believed I was going to die by the car going up in flames. I started trying to get out, I was pretty stuck. When my door would open I freaked out. In a panic I pushed my feet against the center console and shoved my back into the door with all my might. I was rewarded with a painful toss out into the road. All I could do was turn over and cry into the road.
A kind woman stopped and ran to me. She told me to lie still. It was about then that all this pain started setting in. My arms were in extreme pain, my legs my stomach, everything hurt. The little old lady got out through the passenger side of her Lincoln and told her she was OK and she just stared at me in shock.
I looked away and thanked the woman for stopping through my sobs and she said back to me. "Well, I would hope someone would stop if they saw a woman laying in the middle of the road."
As I laid there shivering in the winter eve waiting for help to arrive I stared up into the setting sky.  It caught me by surprise. It was beautiful and I said a silent prayer up to God to be with me. I felt like the sky was gathering around me and that He was very aware of me and was going to watch over me.

I later learned that I had suffered a hairline fracture of my pelvis, 1st & 2nd degree burns on my arms from the air bag, deep bone bruising on my legs (touching the skin was like sharp glass for about 2 months), a pinched Sciatic nerve and terrible black bruising ever where the seat belt was. Our 1 month old "Cilantro" was totally destroyed. It was so new that the gap between was was lost when we drove it off the lot was not covered by insurance. "Gap" insurance was not offered by our insurance.

I was left feeling why did this have to happen to me?
I was scattered in my thoughts maybe it was because of this or maybe that. I was searching for a reason. It was years later before I really started to understand.
Yes, God could have prevented all of this, that was true. Yet he sent us to Earth to experience this life. He believed in us that if we were given scenarios to which we had 100% control over our thoughts to reason we could arrive in a better knowledgeable state that we were before. As natural consequences ran thier coarse we could learn, serve and grow or we could become bitter, selfish and traumatized. The choice is ours.
The real question became: Do we proceed with faith in God when bad things happen??
I chose to take a unique perspective.
I think of all those whose compassion was doubled as they ran to my aid. I think of the physical therapists who found joy in their profession in working with me. I started thinking about new questions: Was there anything the CT scanner learned about the human body while I was being scanned? Was my family drawn closer as they were reminded that life is short? Did my friends have an opportunity to Thank God above that I was OK? I started LOOKING for the good.
What about those who have toiled away for days to bring me meals and the kindness that enlarged their hearts to do so. As a result of this accident, love for my life increased and I began to be more serious about living it responsibly. Do you think it sounds funny to say that my trauma was so that others could learn to serve me? I know some would/could argue this idea. I don't think it was the only reason but you can not say that this was not apart of God's equation.
The truth is that we can learn so much from a bad situation.
 The truth is that no matter what happens to us we are all guaranteed, because of the Atonement of Christ, an immortal perfect body someday. This life is the test, not the whole of our existence, but a short learning lesson before an eternity of beauty. I believe my God, My Father in Heaven loves me. He wanted me to experience pain to better enjoy and prize the times of peace and more fully empathize and run to the aid of others in compassion. This is my belief and testament this glorious Sabbath day. Your welcome to your own beliefs and I am so thankful each of us have this choice to make of this life what each of us will. I choose to believe in the beauty we can experience as we choose to seek out all that is vituous, lovely of good report or praise worthy. Our pain is temporary and this is God's love and comfort to us that He will right all the wrongs and mend the broken spirit. I humbly testify of this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.