Brighten Your Day

Some people say life is full of coincidences. Some people say life is full of synchronicity. I say life is full of God: guiding us, connecting us, watching over us, and protecting us. Looking back over my own life I have seen countless instances of God’s love and protection.

One such moment happened when I was still a struggling, substitute, school teacher. At that time, over 30 years ago my wife, baby son, and I lived at the end of a long, winding, curvy, mountain road. On this day I had gotten a last minute call to work at a school 15 miles away. I was hurrying up that road to be there on time. My old car was hugging the curves and I was making good time when I saw up ahead a fat possum waddling across the road. I was surprised to see him in the daylight because I knew possums were nocturnal. I quickly hit the brakes so I wouldn’t turn the little guy into road kill. Just as he made it to the side of the road, I started to move my foot from the brake back to the gas. Suddenly, a tractor trailer roared around the curve, over the center line and halfway in my lane. The driver saw me, jerked his steering wheel back and just missed my car. If that possum hadn’t caused me to slow down just a little bit the Semi would have crushed my car and probably killed me as well. I drove on a little slower and safer but still made it to the school on time. I also kept saying: “Thank You God!” over and over all the way there.

Now was that possum in the daylight just a coincidence? Or did God wake up the night dweller from his morning nap and put him in the right spot at the right moment to save my life? I choose to believe the latter. Things like this have happened far too often for me not to.

God loves us all so much. He watches over us and protects us in so many ways. And He fills our lives with little miracles, even a possum in the daylight.