There was a blare of horns on the air for a lightning moment. I vaguely remember seeing a flash of white before I slammed on my brakes hard.
Then, before I knew what happened, there was a crash of metal, a gigantic tug on my seatbelt, and the heat of an explosion in my face. I felt the contents of my car hit the dash and then thunk to the floor, and the sweet, perfect hum of my engine suddenly stopped. Particles of glass rained down around me, and stars flashed before my eyes.
It was a moment before I realized what had happened. Pain shot throughout my body and my ears began to buzz with ringing. My hands and feet went numb, and I felt shock begin to paralyze my body. My vision was blurry and hazy as the contents of a–my–car came to clarity around me. I blinked and looked ahead. The blue hood which once contained such a perfect V6 engine was flattened against the windshield glass, blocking daylight. Outside my side window, brake lights flared red as cars came to a halt around me. Panic shot through my chest and my eyes teared up. I choked out a sob and hit my steering wheel, as if it would shake the car back to perfection. “No, no, no, Jesus! No, no, no…” I began to shake; alone and terrified.
I had realized what had happened in three seconds flat: I was in my first car accident.
Life can be like a car accident: fast, unexpected, and deadly. One moment we’re going through life, listening to the radio and thinking about lunch, then smack! We’re crumpled, sitting static, and unable to move, think, or process. Life comes to a screeching halt sometimes, just like in a car accident.
Here is what research from Oklahoma State University states: “The car stops in the first tenth of a second, but you keep on at the same rate you were going in the car until something stops you – the steering wheel, dashboard or windshield – if you’re not wearing your safety belt. Bad enough at 15 miles an hour, but a 30 miles you hit “the wall” four times as hard as you would at 15. Or to put it another way, with the same impact you’d feel as if you fell three stories.”
Engineers have tried for decades to bring cars to a place where they are the epitome of safety when in an accident. But, the reality of it all is this: there is no such thing as safe in an accident. You’re not promised to come out okay from an accident, no matter what Sam Elliot tells you in the latest Dodge commercial.
Life is the same way: you aren’t guaranteed tomorrow. What scared me the most about my accident wasn’t the fact I had liability or was promised a ticket, or even that my beautiful Chrysler was completely totaled. What scared me the most was the realization I could’ve been ripped away from my family without even have said goodbye.
I always thought I was a good driver and that accidents wouldn’t happen to me. I was wrong. It’s the same with eternity–regardless of how long you think you have to “get right”. You may have a week. A year. Maybe a few hours. It can happen to you, trust me.
So, I’m not going to flash any scripture verses at you, or throw Jesus in your face. I’m just going to ask the simple question: Where would you go if you died tomorrow? Regardless of who you are, how much money you have, or how many good things you think you do, there is only one way to see heaven, and that is through Jesus Christ.
So check your speed, put on your brakes, and think about your destination.
Where will you spend eternity?
