There is a song that has been on my mind lately: “I See Grace.”
Today, as I was driving home from a meeting roughly two hours from my house, I heard it and realized just how much grace God has placed upon me. He has blessed me beyond belief.
I have been amidst dangers and perils in my life, and He has rescued me, lifting me out of danger into safety. I can remember times when I placed myself in danger, and He said, “Not yet. I don’t want anything to happen to you just yet.”
Like when I worked in a tough neighborhood and was told by my then-boss to drop to the ground in the cooler if a robbery or something dangerous ever occurred. My stores always had a parking space directly in front so that I wouldn’t have to worry about being accosted on the street. The Lord has a gentle way of seeing to our needs; we only need to look at what is going on around us.
There have been so many times He has kept me safe—like when I was working away from home and didn’t know the streets. Or the time a man recently released from prison walked up to me in front of a hotel and asked for food. I didn’t have any on me, so he directed me to a nearby store. I obliged. I helped him choose the food he wanted and added a few extras. My boss, who was waiting for me at the hotel, asked, “Did you ask what he was in jail for?” I said no—because if I would have asked, I might not have been able to take care of him. That is another time Our Lord watched out for me.
Another time, I was in Oklahoma when I started bleeding for no apparent reason. I didn’t understand it. I called my doctor, who told me to go immediately to the emergency room. I said no, telling him I would head straight his way instead. When I arrived, he set me up with an internal medicine doctor. The doctor checked me and discovered I had precancerous cells. He told me that if that bleeding hadn’t happened, I would have developed cancer. I am so thankful for how God led me to safety. Can you see God’s presence in your life?
There are other times… but today…
Today, I had an appointment two hours away. No big deal. My husband is such a wonderful fellow; he always watches over me. The little things he does are always so sweet. Anyway, because I was going so far, he wanted to check the oil before I left.
I drove all the way down there and eventually noticed some oil on one side of the truck. I thought it was strange, but plausible considering the environments I work around. I figured maybe some had spilled from another vehicle onto mine. But it felt wrong.
If you know my husband, you know he always calls at a certain time during the day, and I knew that call was coming. But I decided to call him early because things just weren’t sitting right. You know how when it rains, the water travels across the windshield? Well, this oil was traveling across my windshield in tiny, microscopic beads.
I told him what I was seeing. He exclaimed for me to pull over at that exact moment in a safe spot. I was close to an intersection that actually had some businesses and at least one gas station—a blessing, because I had been traveling through an area in South Louisiana that doesn’t have many businesses at all.
He told me to lift the hood and check the oil cap. Needless to say… no oil cap. Oil was all over the place. It was terrible.
I want you to realize something: I had driven approximately three hours with oil leaking out of the reservoir. How much oil do you think was left? I’ll let you imagine.
Anyway, my husband told me to stay put; he was coming. He left his job to come aid me. When he finally arrived, he poured in the first quart—into a reservoir that only holds four. He checked it. Poured in an additional quart. Still not quite enough.
Do you have the number in your head?
Finally, after pouring in a little over three quarts, it was full.
He looked over the truck and said, “If you would have gone much further, you would have blown the engine. Also, look how the oil puddled on this piece. If it had heated up enough right there, the vehicle would have caught fire.”
Now, most would say this was just luck, or me being observant. But do you realize that if I hadn’t listened to that voice within, we would be buying a new car tomorrow? If God had not put that little nudge in me that said something is wrong, I would have been in a much worse situation.
That is God’s grace on me.
Where do you see God’s grace in your life?
I See Grace….
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