All it takes is a close brush with death to show you how fragile life really is.

Last week I was running late to work, and drove up to the light outside of my subdivision just shy of making the last sequence. Bummed, I sat at the light waiting for the green so I could rush down the road and get in to work most likely a couple minutes late. When my light turned green, I happily drove into the intersection.

Then immediately in my peripheral vision on my left side I saw a truck barreling towards me. With no thought, I put my foot on the gas in an attempt to at least not get hit in the driver’s seat. A second later I was wrecked into. I was driving a compact Camry and the oncoming vehicle was a mini U-Haul. Going basically full speed.

I braced for the impact with my eyes closed and fists clenched to the steering wheel. My car spun out and then finally stopped. When I looked up, I was facing the car behind me that was waiting to turn. My car was hit so hard I made a 180.

As you can imagine, my poor Camry took a beating.

The insurance company hasn’t looked at it yet, but I’m sure it will be totaled. It’s sad because my family got the car within the first year of me being born, so I don’t have a single memory of us not having it. It’s a warrior with over 300,000 miles. I think it had another solid 100,000 miles to go, but now it is forced into retirement. Although my car was pounded, I left the scene without a scratch. My neck was a little stiff the next day, but that was it.

There are a few things I have learned from this experience. Number one is that it doesn’t matter if you’re rushing, check both ways when the light is green. Number two is that life is not guaranteed. God showed me that I am not immune to dying. It is not set in stone that I live to age 95. By dangling death in front of me, he showed me that I still have a purpose in being here. If there was nothing good ahead… If I only had reasons to give up and not push forward… I would have just died. Death was about four feet away. Say that truck had hit me in the driver’s seat and not in the tail on the driver’s side, the car might’ve flipped. I could’ve been crushed in that upside down car. It would’ve been over in an instant. If not, I probably would have been severely injured. All of that was four. feet. away.

I’m not going to lie and say, “Ahh, I’m at such a great point in my life right now! I’m so alive!” because it’s not true. I’m going through a very difficult time and this car crash has made it even worse, but I can say it has shown me something valuable. Even if I am suffering right now… I have a role to play, and even if it takes me every ounce in my body to get out of bed and play it, I will. Because God isn’t finished with the position I hold right now. All of the ripples I make in the next week, month, or year are meant to happen. I need to take these losses and hold my head up high. Move on. Keep going. These past two weeks have been filled with sooo many setbacks. It’s hard to keep up right now, but I’ll keep going. Hopefully I’ll catch back up to speed soon. While I do that, I can be sure that I am meant to be here. If I wasn’t… death would have met me in that intersection. Instead of giving me those four feet.