Yesterday the kids and I were heading to pick up daddy from the airport.  His plane happened to land during rush hour.  Of course, living in a major city, rush “hour” is used loosely.  It’s from about 3 – 8 pm.  

The expressway was packed.  It was wall to wall cars everywhere as we headed to the airport.  Daddy’s plane had landed early.  Goody!  Except we hadn’t thought it would be early.  

On a side note, it is just one more perk to having a large family…the HOV lane is our BFF. And it usually moves quite nicely, all things considered.

  

I’m one of those who pray as I drive that the Lord would keep cars away from us.  And it is crazy how most of the time, the HOV lane has no one in front of me for miles.   

Although there is the occasional dork who insists on thong-riding {what I call the person who relentlessly rides on my bum} – well, they are just plain annoying.  

So as it was we were cruising down to part of the city where I needed to take an exit toward the airport.  Slowing the car a bit, I checked around us and the road was clear to move over a lane, then another…

Suddenly the traffic in front of me slowed remarkably and then it just stopped.  I stopped as well. I peered over the steering wheel wondering what was going on.  

I saw a woman with her window open on the right shoulder motioning something.  This was all happening just two or three cars in front of us.  I sat there trying to figure it out as the cars in front of me sat as well.  

Within about a minute the cars in front of me started to move a bit….I moved forward, following slowly and realized that there had just been an accident.  Right there!  Just about 2 or 3 cars in front of us.   A car was smashed and parts were strewn across the road. 

Wow!  It had just happened!  

Although I didn’t see it happen in any way, I moved closer, wondering what I should do.  A very pretty young woman was now next to the smashed driver’s side.   The mangled car and it’s parts were blocking much of the super highway.  

Inching a bit, I could barely see the woman in the seriously damaged car, although I could tell that both of her airbags had deployed.  I yelled to the woman on her cell phone, standing next to the accident victim in the middle of the road, “Is she okay?”  She looked straight at me and yelled back, “NO!”  

Oh dear.

I don’t do accidents.  

I hate blood.  Blood makes me not just queasy but makes me want to vomit.  When I reached the hospital during Karl’s landing from the med-flight…I ran to find the nearest restroom.  Seriously, I hate blood. 

Anyway, I turned my attention to the woman on the shoulder who had been motioning out the window.  I rolled the passenger side of my van window down.  Pleadingly she called, “She needs help!!”  

And it was at that moment that the Lord reminded me, 

“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, 
do also to them.”

Yes, Lord, if I was in an accident on a six lane freeway that flows right throughout the middle of Phoenix, in the middle of rush hour, I would want someone to stop and help in whatever way they could. 

Even if they hate blood.  

Even if they don’t have any true medical training. 

Even if they are afraid of vomiting.  

Even if they were on the way to pick up their now-waiting husband 
who had been gone for 3+ weeks. 

Even if they have a van-full of treasures.   

So I pulled the car over to the shoulder and told the kids I was going to help.  Stay seated!  

I was also wondering where some people were who might be trained to help??  

Other motorists perhaps?  

Nurses on their way somewhere?  

Doctors passing through the area?  

Someone else?

I looked behind me, cars were trying hard to push ahead, impatiently squeezing through minute spaces.…

I held my hand up to the cars and a giant semi as I ran across the lanes.  As I went, I prayed, “Please Lord, just help me not to vomit when I see whatever I see.”  

The semi laid on his horn and rolled down his window and screamed something not-so-nice at me.  I guess I was inconveniencing him by holding him up as I ran to help.  Oh bless your heart, Mr. Impatient and Very Grumpy Pants!!   I wished I could have said, “Dude! I would have stopped to help you, now then buddy – put on a happy face and smile!!”

As I reached the totaled car in the middle of the lanes the same woman was still standing on the phone with 9-1-1 was still talking to 9-1-1 and so I asked what the driver needed and she said, “I don’t know, she’s hurt bad.  But see that car over there? I don’t think she can even move.  I think she’s trapped!”  

I turned to see yet a second car {that I had not even seen before}, down the highway, totally smashed, major auto parts strewn across the HOV lane beyond for at least 50 feet.   

There was no one outside the second car checking on the occupants.  

No one at all.  Ugh. 

I peered in the direction of the traffic behind the accident trying to see any sign of a police car.  

Nothing.

I prayed hard.  God please don’t let me vomit.  

And I ran, as fast as I could, tripping over large auto parts to the second car to see what the situation was.   I thought, I will flag men down and have them help me lift the car or something if she is trapped!  

She was alone sitting up as I arrived.  She was conscious.  I didn’t see any blood.  {I was so relieved.}  

I asked her if she was okay.  

She just stared at me and questioned, “What happened?”

In shock, she clearly had no clue what was going on.

She did say that she had just gotten the car.  She repeated herself again. And again.

“I just got the car.  Just now.  I just got it.  I just got the car.  Just now.  Do you know what happened?”    

She asked me several times.  I told her I didn’t know what had happened.  That I had been back two or three cars.  

I asked her if I could pray with her.  She said I could and I took her hand and began to pray.

She was shaking, but then I was too. 

I looked behind the accident for any sign of a rescue vehicle.

After what seemed like forever, but was probably only about five minutes, 
I could see three police cars – lights flashing and sirens blaring speeding down the HOV lane toward us. 

An officer soon ran to the car in the middle of the freeway.  Before long, a handsome young officer ran in our direction, to the car I was standing with.  I told him that she appeared to be in shock.    

He looked around as though wondering where I had come from.  I told him that the big van on the shoulder across the highway was mine and that I had just stopped to see if I could help in any way.  

The kind officer smiled, “Thank you for helping.  Let me block traffic so you can go back to your car.”  

Friends, I didn’t lend any great assistance and yes, I was concerned that I would vomit, but I know I did what He asked.  I was thankful I stopped.  And I pray that if the shoe was on the other foot, someone would stop to help me. 

 Even if they hate blood.

Even if they were afraid they would vomit.

Even if their husband {or wife} was waiting for them.

Even if they had a sweet pile of kids in the car.  

Cause friends, when we give Christ our lives, it’s for keeps.  

Our days are His.  Our moments are His.  Our time is His. 

To use.  

However He wants.  

Wherever He wants.  

No matter what.   

“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, 
do also to them.”
Matthew 7:12  

Even if we might see blood.