More Than Good
My regular Thursday routine was interrupted by a dog.
I was on my way to the YMCA for yoga class when I saw the dog on the road. She was wandering a bit in circles going up to other cars as they slowed to pass her. When I came up to her, I stopped my car and called out to her, “Are you lost?” She immediately came over to me, tail wagging, mouth open with a smile, as if saying, “Yes. Please help me.”
After a moment’s pause, I opened the door and she jumped in. I started to head to the vet down the road to see if she was micro-chipped, but then noticed she had a collar on. Since I had forgotten my phone, I thought I would head back home to check for information on her collar and give her owners a call. I needed to turn around, so I went into a driveway and backed up. A loud scrapping noise informed me that I had backed into something. Heartbroken, I got out of the car and saw that the back fender had a huge gash. My newish car.
I wanted to cry.
Took me awhile to get over it. But finally, I simply accepted that there was now an imperfection on my car and it wasn’t worth having it fixed.
This past Christmastime, I went to the grocery store. The store’s parking lot was packed, but I spied a parking spot on the left, fairly close to the entrance and slowed down to go into it.
CRASH!
Someone had backed into my car.
Again heartbroken, I went into the parking spot and got out to inspect the damage. I sighed. Same spot as the scrap from the dog rescue debacle. When I saw the woman who backed into me, I wanted to scream at her. I wanted to browbeat her with, “What were you thinking!” “Do you even look when you back up?” Instead, I took a deep breath and said, “Is everyone okay?” (I was really proud of myself.)
She was visibly shaken. We exchanged information. She left. I shopped.
When I got home, my husband looked at the information and said, “Her insurance is expired.”
I wanted to cry.
Fast forward a couple of months, her insurance company contacted me (apparently her insurance had not expired, just her copy of it) and they interviewed me in detail. “Ah well,” I thought, “I’ll just have to live with it.”
Surprisingly a couple of weeks later, they called and said it was not my fault and they offered to fix my car. What an amazing experience! Her insurance company is like a well-oiled, sparkly machine. It only took 2 days. They gave me a rental. I was offered refreshments during my short waits. When I went to pick up my car, not only was my bumper and the back area shiny brand new, but it looked like they had buffed up some of the minor scratches on my car. They even cleaned the inside. And it’s guaranteed as long as I own the car.
I wanted to cry.
This time in sheer joy. All of this was completely, totally unexpected.
What began as a tragedy in my eyes, turned to more than good. It went beyond anything I would have hoped for.
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, ~Ephesians 3:20 NIV
Honestly, it has been a tough season of my life. My figurative bruises have been many. This was just one more thing I believed I needed to let go. It’s only a car.
But God gave me this story to share with you about how he knows me, loves me, and wants the best for me. He knew this was important and a much-needed encouragement along this current rough path of my journey. I know that this kind of thing doesn’t happen every day.
And for that, I can only add the rest of the passage from Ephesians 3:
to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. ~Ephesians 3:21 NIV
Perhaps you are going through a rough path in your journey. I don’t know what God has for you but watch for his expressions of love. He knows you, too, and wants the best for you. You, too, may have a story to share of unexpected abundance.
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You had me at the dog!
Whatever happened to her? And my hubby is a GFR for a popular insurance company, and I can hope they would treat you the same way. ?
Your unexpected trials turned into triumph. Only God!
Blessings!
The dog actually lives not too far from where I picked her up. The owner thought she had followed the garbage trucks, and then got confused as to how to return homey.
A happy ending for all!
If I really think about it, I can see the good that has come from what seemed like bad situations in my past. But sometimes it’s really hard to keep that mindset when you’re going through the bad. 🙂
I know! And here I thought it was just me.
Even when you know that what’s upsetting you doesn’t have all that much importance in the big scheme of things, it’s so comforting to know that God is with you in them as well. He is such a good God, who gets us even more than we get ourselves. Thanks for the reminder, Becky, that he’s got this – all of THIS we call life!!
Exactly. The world is going to keep spinning even though my bumper is smashed in , but my small world was impacted immensely!
I just love this story and having known some of the ‘chapters’ in the making I rejoice with you at the ‘sparkly’ ending. I wish that I would remember how capable God is of bringing good out of the scrapes of life..but maybe there is value in repeating the lessons… 🙂
I think you are right. It’s so good for the soul, isn’t it?
I love this story SO much. And you picked the PERFECT scripture for it. I also want to say, good for you that you weren’t “wrecked” by the first incident. It’s all just stuff, right?
I also love the extraordinary service the repair garage provided. That is awesome!!
Great post with a good message and very happy ending:)
I love me a happy ending!! Thanks, Diane!