The recent news about the church bus crash in Indiana hit close to home. My heart is breaking for the kids on the bus and trip, the family of the mom that was killed, the little boy of the pastor & his wife who were killed, the bus driver and everyone in that church family.
Almost twenty years ago, a church youth group van crash changed my life. I was on a middle school church ski trip in Pennsylvania. The 15-passenger van I was riding in hit a patch of ice, skidded and rolled. Some people were thrown from the van, some were pinned inside, and the rest of us climbed out the broken window.
Our friend Ann Marie, who had already struggled with childhood illnesses like a hole in her heart and a stroke, didn't survive. Her parents were chaperones in our van and her dad was driving.
My injuries were minor, but my world was changed. When you're 12, you think you are invincible and can do anything you want without fear of consequences. As my friends and I prayed by the side of the road that morning, things got real.
In that moment, I decided that I wanted to be a doctor or a nurse, and in high school I became an EMT.
In that moment, death became real.
In that moment, my faith was made strong.
In that moment, life became more precious.
I think about that accident and Ann Marie often. I think of all of the things that she never got to do because her life was cut short. Prom, high school graduation, college, marriage, babies. It's always a reminder to be thankful for this live that I'm living and all of the blessings that I have.
Why? Why do bad things happen to good people? Sometimes it doesn't make any sense. But I know that it's all part of the bigger picture and that God has a perfect plan.
My life verse, which came out of my accident, is Romans 8:28 "All things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purposes."
There is hope. I'm looking for the good!
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