What to Do When a Tree Falls on Your Car

So this happened today...

It was a crazy day trying to plan logistics for a shared meal and meeting this evening and working with 33 international students in between. I realized I didn’t have drinks so I made a quick trip to the store to grab the drinks. I ran back to my apartment to drop them off so my roommate could take them to the event since I would be late. I generally park downstairs in our garage but since it was an in and out trip I parked out front. I gathered the drinks and carried them inside my apartment building. As I was about to unlock my door I heard a loud crash. I went back outside to see if there had been a car accident. Then I saw the tree and the damage. I was speechless for a moment, stunned by what had just happened. It was a beautiful day. There was no wind or storms. I only intended on parking there for five minutes tops. My next response was to cry because it was too much for me to take in with everything else going on. The thing is I didn’t have time to cry. I called my dad as I usually do in those circumstances and he told me to call my landlord so I did. After those two phone calls I called work to let them know I would be late since I needed to meet my landlord.  

I sat down and was on the point of releasing it all in a puddle of tears. But then I remembered to be thankful, to count my gifts. A year and a half and 4,000 gifts and counting has instilled this beautiful habit in me.

My first thankful in this situation was the realization that the tree branch missed me by less than a minute. Approximately 30 seconds prior to the crash I had been standing in the spot beside my left rear passenger door. I am thankful I am uninjured and alive. Other thankfuls include:

I am thankful it is only a car.  

I am thankful that it is only a small portion of my car. 

I am thankful my car is still drivable and the damage appears to be a fairly easy fix. 

I am thankful there is a purpose. With a five minute window on a beautiful calm day, there has to be a purpose. Perhaps I was spared from some greater catastrophe since I was stuck at home longer than planned.

I am thankful my employer was gracious and told me to take time to deal with this and not be stressed. 

I am thankful my coworker today was Jeremy, my friend-who-is-like-family. He picked up some slack for me.

I am thankful my landlord offered to come over immediately to inspect.

I am thankful for Ann Voskamp’s book ‘One Thousand Gifts‘ that has taught me to be thankful in ALL circumstances even this one. And this habit brought joy and happiness of heart rather than tears.

  

I am thankful that I learned a valuable lesson. I can self insulate, insure, self protect as much as possible but God gets the final say. As often as I have parked my car in the garage to protect it, in a matter of seconds on a sunny day, it was damaged.

I am thankful for the reminder that life is a vapor and in a matter of seconds I could be finished with this life.

I am thankful again and again for the words of Psalm 46 etched in my brain and written on my heart. If there is one passage of Scripture I recommend to memorize, it is this one. Over and over, God uses it to bring peace in the midst of my chaos. “Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling” or though a tree branch falls on my car. Why do we not fear? “The Lord of hosts is with us”.

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” -1 Thessalonians 5:18

I don’t write this to brag and show off that I have it together. I don’t. I share this here so that it may encourage someone else to start the habit of counting gifts, counting the small things and thus when the BIG things fall from the sky, to count there as well. Thankfulness yields joy. Over and over again I see that the enemy uses my lack to take me to a dark, depressed place. If I leave my focus on my lack, I am miserable. By naming the gifts, I went from ready-to-cry to being thankful for life and health. I found joy.