{it.was.an.a.c.c.i.d.e.n.t.}

yesterday, we filed an auto insurance claim online, the insurance e-mailed us today that they will come and get the car to bring it to an "approved" garage today or tomorrow.  that means i'll stop on my way to work and make sure that all of k's belongings are removed from the car ... just in case it is totaled and we never see it again. ugh! it's an inconvenience, and an extra stop and "duty" in my day that i'd not planned, but it is what it is. such is life, and these "minor inconveniences" we call accidents!

dictionary.com defines accident this way: 

yes, a possibly totaled car, 3 girls who are achey, bruised and "shook", police reports, insurance claims and all that those things entail is certainly undesirable AND unfortunate.

 however, i do believe that it did occur unintentionally. i do not believe that the lady who hit the girls on saturday set out that morning determined to see if she could injure 3 precious girls and total their car {and possibly her own}!  accidents do happen. saturday was not a "good" day for an accident ... 3 happy-go-lucky teenage girls, happily driving home from decorating for their junior prom, not a care in the world other than getting their hair and make-up done for the big evening ahead of them ... when suddenly out of nowhere {or so it seemed} there was an undesirable and unfortunate turn of events. yes undesirable and unfortunate, but certainly not intentional! 

in this situation, i {we} have a choice to make! that choice is ours and ours alone and it will shape how we face the situation! the choice is to be angry and bitter or to accept the situation for what it is {an accident} and to forgive the driver of the car that hit the girls.

dictionary.com defines forgive:

and, in the bible we are commanded to forgive:

Ephesians 4:32 {in the Message version} says:

Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.

the choice is ours, be angry that the other driver hit them, though we know nothing of her or the circumstances. was she distracted by poor health, a bad report from her doctor, stress in her family, a wayward child of her own ... ? i don't know and probably never will, but i do feel that whatever caused her distraction on saturday was not an intentional act to harm others. i've been distracted when driving, and by God's grace, i've not had an accident, and should it ever happen, i pray that i'll be forgiven as well.

in this case, i will choose to forgive the other driver and to be thankful.  thankful that these two beautiful young ladies {and their friend} walked away from the accident, achey, bruised and "shook" but unscarred and ALIVE! i will choose to be thankful that we are not at their bedside in a hospital watching them fight for life or planning funerals today. i will choose to believe that even in car accidents, God reigns and is sovereign. that He knew this accident would happen and His hand of protection was on the girls and the driver of the other vehicle. 

i will chose forgiveness and thankfulness and love.

i will choose to be forever grateful that God forgave me, thus allowing me to forgive others! 

and, i'll be thankful for these precious girls and all that they mean to me! ♥