What I've Learned in the Past 24 Hours

Here's what I've learned in the past 24 hours, as it has related to the car accident my mom, dad, sister, and brother-in-law were in on Sunday afternoon:

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* Third, all of your responses. I have literally been overwhelmed by messages via Facebook, email, text, and phone. I cannot begin to tell you how beautiful this is, to have so many people in so many contexts send well wishes, offer to pray and pass on information to prayer chains they are a part of, and dispense nuggets of insight in the midst of this really bad news. The partners in my firm have been especially sensitive and generous in the ways they have extended their sympathies and given me whatever flexibility I need to take care of things.

* Fourth, He is still the King even if there is no fairy tale ending. Many of the thoughts sent our way focused on one of two themes: people's own experiences with miraculous healings, and their own experiences of God working amazing good in the midst of horrifying bad. We continue to pray along these lines. But, and I hope I say this not out of a lack of faith or a need to hedge my bets, I accept that on this side of glory, sometimes there is no neat and tidy ending. God is neither non-existent, capricious, uncaring, nor impotent. But that does not negate the fact that sometimes life brings wreckage. That He works good out of all circumstances does not also necessarily mean we can see what that good is from our finite perspectives.

Every hour seems to bring to me a new revelation of the costliness of this incident, and of the negative impacts it will bring to those I love. And so we may pine for the answer to the question, "Why did this happen." But from the standpoint of choosing between different paths - this crash happening, versus some other alternative in which the crash didn't happen - there is no longer any choice. We have no "rewind" button to escape having to live in the aftermath of this accident. Thrust into this new direction, which we did not anticipate, we are left to trust the goodness of God, and to entrust ourselves and others into His sure care. I am comforted and calmed, amidst such discomfort and distress, because I believe in that goodness and that care. Please pray that that will sustain me and my family as we all heal.