Twenty Year Old Miracles

Miracles. They happen everyday. Sadly, we forget some of them. Others are etched into our minds as if they happened seconds ago. Twenty years ago this month I experienced an unforgettable miracle.

It was a typical Illinois blustery, winter day. The weather forecast was calling for high winds, whiteouts, heavy drifting, power outages and more. However, it was cozy and warm in my classroom. My students were busy with their craft. Dominique, one of my favorites, looked out the window at the swirling snow. He asked, “Teacher, what is that man doing outside?” I checked the window, always alert for strangers on our school premises. I didn't see anyone. “Dominique, there is no one there.” He was persistent about the man outside the window. I finally asked what the man was doing. He shrugged, “He is just watching us,” and off he went to his next activity. I brushed it off as the little guy's active imagination.

My director came to my classroom with a phone call from my mom. She was sending my dad to pick me up at the end of the school day. The weather was getting worse, and they did not want me on the roads alone. I told her I would be fine, after all I was an adult of 21, getting ready to get married in a month! I can get home safely on my own! She ended her conversation with her usual, be careful and I'll be praying! (Now, I say that to my own independent driver!)

The school day ended and I headed out into the cold to find my car partially buried in deepening snow. My dad had recently purchased me a brand new car for my upcoming married life in Tennessee. It was bright turquoise with a hot pink wave down the side (think 1990's). It was perfect! The roads were clear in the city, however, things started to get worse as I headed to the interstate. I took it slow and easy. My mind began to wander to my wedding day that was just week's away. I had planned, replanned, and planned again every detail of the day. I was picturing the platform and rearranging my attendants for the thousandth time.

Suddenly, my car hit a slick spot, and began to spin out of control. I tried to remember everything my dad told me to do if this happened, however, my mind went completely blank. Suddenly, an 18 wheeler came into view in front of me. I could do nothing as I propelled toward it on the interstate. Nothing except speak the one name above all names! In Jesus name, in Jesus name, in Jesus name. I said this continually as plowed into and under the 18 wheeler, and together we slid down the road. It truly felt as if it happened in slow motion. I can still hear the sickening sound of glass and medal as my windshield began to buckle and my tiny car slid under the truck. In Jesus name, in Jesus name, in Jesus name. I watched as my rear view mirror came down and touched my steering wheel. Everything around me was smashing under the weight of the 18 wheeler. In Jesus name, in Jesus name, in Jesus name. Suddenly, I was pushed out from under the sliding truck. I was spinning across lanes of the highway and came to am upright stop in the median. All I could think of was, how was I going to get out of the car? Miraculously, I simply opened the crushed door and stepped out. By that time, people were wading over to me in the snow. The first man that got to me was shocked, to say the least. He kept saying. I knew I was going to see a body when I got to the car, not someone standing here! No one could believe that I was unhurt. My lip was bleeding from where I bit it when I first hit the truck, nothing more was wrong. They has already called the ambulance, because they were expecting the worst. Someone called my mom, and another man dug my purse out of the car. It was filled with shattered glass, but there was not one cut or scrape on me. As I looked back at my demolished car, I could see the outline of where the Lord protected my head from being crushed. I knew that I was standing on the side of the road with all of the travelers staring at me, because of one reason. God. There IS power in the name!

Later that night, after I got off of the phone with my soon to be husband, I began to think on the events of the day. The insurance adjuster(love those adjusters :)) told my dad there was one part of damage to my car that was simply unexplainable. The bumper on the passenger side of the back of the vehicle was one of the only parts not crushed by the truck. However, it had one large dent there. The adjuster said it looked as if someone physically pushed my car out from under the truck with such force that it dented in the bumper. I thought of the stranger that Dominique saw. The one that was “just watching.” I feel the Lord opened the eyes of my young student, and let him see that He is continually watching. He is always as close as the mention of His name. Jesus, the most beautiful name above all names.