Through a cracked windshield, what can be seen?

"He is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. O that today you would listen to his voice! Do not harden your hearts . . ." - Psalm 95:7-8a

Dear Friends in Christ -

One of my dear friends wrote the following Lenten reflection for her church. I was so touched by it - particularly by the "heart" questions she asks - that I wanted to share it with you.

Blessings,
Janet+

When the rotted-out tree landed on my car while driving to work this winter, I numbly pulled over on Mansfield Avenue, called for help, and from my seat surveyed the dreadful damage to my husband's luxury SUV. Surrounding drivers emerged, incredulously inquiring about me, and five men started hauling the tree's broken limbs out of the road so the surrounding world could resume. Despite the immense impact to the base of the windshield, precisely where my legs had been, I was 100% fine. Swiftly thereafter, repair-mode ensued. And although that uprooted day led to a whirlwind of routine frustrations that accompany all accidents, we relish in God's blessing that I am alive and unharmed.

But somewhere inside, I can't help but wonder: what if I had been hit by another car, rather than a tree? What if there had been a person to blame? How would we have treated the stranger who almost killed me and caused a huge headache with our insurance company? Would we have chosen to forgive? Would we have noticed God's blessing? I forget sometimes that people, like trees, are inherently beautiful, intricately designed through nature and nurture. Depending on how others enter my world, I may see them as lacking dimension. But I think God graced me with His tree to remind me that just as trees can rot from within, drop branches or fall entirely, people are equally susceptible to causing these kinds of accidents. And I must be wise and avoid convenient blame or even hatred when I feel wronged. Instead, I must trust that like me, my enemies have many dimensions, and by meeting them with mercy and forgiveness, I will undoubtedly unearth another one of God's blessings.
-- Lindsay Hayes Hurty (2010)