I know, I know ... that title has been used and over-used on forums and blogs across the Net. However, it is the only title that truly expresses my thoughts for today ... so you're stuck with it once again!

Last week was an eventful one for me because I was driving the car in this picture when that damage occurred. Headed home after a wonderful visit with some family, I was thinking about what the rest of the day held. One minute I was considering what I could get accomplished before bedtime, and the next moment the airbag was deploying. By God's grace alone, I was able to walk away relatively uninjured.

In a book I read recently, the main character and his wife go on a camping trip. During their outing, they stop to explore a cave, and promptly get lost. Throughout the course of a day they wander and shout and climb and finally give up trying. Some 10 hours or so later, friends find and rescue them from their unexpected venture. The main character spends much of the rest of the book pondering the "lesson of the cave". What did God want him to learn from the experience?

As I've pondered the "lesson of the car accident" this week, some pretty common things have floated through my mind. Ecclesiastes 9:12 pops up now and again, reminding me that no one knows when their hour will come. My husband's smile and my children's voices all seem particularly precious to me this week. But most of all, I believe at least one of the "lessons of the car accident" for me has to do with God's sovereignty. The belief that, as my creator, God has the authority to do whatever He wishes in my life. As a fairly self-sufficient individual by nature, it's tough to accept that no amount of planning or manipulation on my part would have changed the events of last Tuesday. There are many nuances to the discussion of sovereignty, but at its simplest, I've been reminded that it means that the God who has saved me for eternity is also able to save me from large white Suburbans stopped in my path. And that the whole escapade has purpose in His plan.

So this Thursday I am thankful ... thankful for the life I've been given, for the family and friends with which I've been blessed. Thankful for the sovereign plan that God has for my life, and that this time His plan included walking away from a crumpled car. And the greater lesson yet to learn is that I can still be thankful even when that plan doesn't necessarily mesh with my own.

Let me encourage you, during this season of Thanksgiving, to consider what you might be thankful for in your life. Look beyond the "obvious", and consider how you can offer thanks for even the most difficult things.

Still on the journey ...
~Judy Wnuk
Sonlight Customer Champion