Two weeks ago we received a call from my (Rachel) mom at midnight. As soon as the phone rang dread ran through both of us. No call at this hour is a good one. Mom proceeded to tell us that Calvin, my step-dad had been in a car accident. Dread turned to disbelief. I wanted to hope for the best but as details came...hope faded. The hospital had called...he had been hit on Highway 321, TWO HOURS before. They had to cut him out of the car. "We may have to transport him to CMC." The last detail made my heart sink. Unfortunately, we have had many calls like this. Any ending in "transport to CMC" has ended in death. My stomach turned, and Clint sat on the bed suddenly awake and terrified of the look on my face. And then...we waited. For 35 minutes we waited on another call. We sat and prayed and waited. Thoughts stormed my mind. The day before, Calvin had taken Eden on her first merry-go-round ride. We were not ready for this. I took a shower while we talked about what to do with Eden. Clint called his parents and set up a worst case scenario drive to Wingate from Shelby. Finally, the phone rang again. Calvin was alive, conscious and talking to the nurses. He had been hit, nearly head-on by a drunk driver. Suddenly, pain and disbelief were joined with anger in my heart. This was not an accident. Someone chose to get behind the wheel of a car very very impaired. The car jumped a 3-4 inch median, Calvin swerved at the last minute, literally saving his life. He made it out with seven broken ribs and a broken shoulder blade. A few inches different and he would have lost his life.
We have lived these last few weeks torn. Anger and grief pulled one way, hope and deep thankfulness the other. Calvin is going to be fine. His recovery will be slow and painful, but he will recover. The Lord's grace to us, my mom and sister, and many others is overwhelming. The Lord spared Calvin his life! This is the essence of grace. The Lord chose to grant Calvin life. Once, and now again. We, Calvin and the drunk driver who hit him do not deserve grace like that. But that is how God works. We deserve hell and he gives us abundant, overwhelming new life. Now, and in eternity. May this grace lead us to a deep thankfulness and worship of the Creator and giver of life. Please Lord, don't let us waste our lives!
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