Convertible/sunroof weather floods Southeast Texas just now. My open SUV sunroof and riding around with my CD player blasting reminds me of my white 1973 MGB convertible. I loved driving that car. It was my last before the years of raising sons moved me into a small SUV and then a minivan followed by a large SUV.
It was early spring in 1980. I was a new Christian, having been born again in 1978. I loved driving my convertible, hard rock or Christian station blasting with the wind in my hair. I trusted my driving skills and my vehicle. It was so fun to drive, especially in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains that constitute much of the Southeast Ohio landscape.
A work colleague who lived in the city limits hosted a going-away party for a woman from our office. Newsroom friends gathered for beers and more. We had a great time. My best friend at the paper asked if I was okay to drive home. I said I was, and he let me leave without another thought. My genetic capacity for alcohol rivaled anyone I knew. In fact, I have realized that one of the reasons I married my then husband was because he was one of the few men I couldn’t drink under the table. Neither of us were believers. We were married more than five years before Jesus found me. My alcohol consumption had diminished greatly since I had found faith but at a party with friends, I still indulged without displaying the known signs of intoxication due to my capacity.
I made the choice to drive the back road to our rented home instead of through the city, as at the first stop sign, I realized I was probably over the legal limit of blood alcohol. I didn’t think I could pass a breathalyzer. I’m sure I was correct. But my usual backroad route home took me up a winding narrow road to the top of a mountain foothill. It was a challenging drive without impairment. But I knew it well and went anyway, as it was not patrolled regularly by law enforcement.
As a new believer, I was only starting to realize God’s protection of His beloved children, much less that it extended to me. That night as I drove up a country road from the river valley to an elevation that reached 800 feet at the top, I was in real danger. I remember the sharp turns that went around a very old tree and the hairpin turn at the top of the hill. I realized the clear evidence of God’s faithfulness to protect me as I reached our driveway and parked in front of the house. I heard in my soul and spirit “You have just run out of grace for this.” It was repeated in the morning as I sought God in my grandfather’s rocking chair. God was serious and I stopped drinking alcohol that day for more than five years. Later in 1980, I became unexpectantly pregnant with my older son. God saved him from the chance of brain damage from my alcohol consumption. He knew His plan for me was good and kept me from the heartache of an auto accident or impaired child by clearly warning me I needed to stop drinking alcohol.
As I remember this story of God’s protection, I think of David’s prayer, his request echoed throughout the generations of believers and know God’s faithfulness extended to me then and continues throughout my life.
Psalm 17:8 Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings… New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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