A couple of weeks ago, I got a phone call that all parents dread. My son, Logan, called to tell me that he had just gotten into an accident. I breathed a tiny sigh of relief...it was him calling and not a police officer. I knew he was at least responsive enough to make the call.
As I asked him more questions, I learned that he'd slid into the car in front of him on this dark and rainy night on I-485. He said he was fine and just getting out the car to check on the other driver. I shifted into father mode and started giving him instructions to ensure his safety as he walked out along that busy highway. The other driver said he was okay, but he was eventually taken to the hospital by ambulance as a precaution for whiplash.
I want to take a moment to point out how proud I am of Logan for the way he handled this difficult situation. I also want to thank God for his safety and the inspiration to write about dealing with mistakes in my previous blog (You can read about it here: https://mallred77.wixsite.com/purposecoaching/post/your-mistakes-can-define-you-or-refine-you-you-choose)). It was fresh in my mind and reminded me of the level of grace I needed to show Logan as everything unfolded.
Looking back on an experience like this, I think it's important to reflect on the grace in the moment. His car was totaled and the air bag didn't deploy, but he'd escaped the accident with only a little soreness. This was an absolute blessing, but a sober reminder of how fragile life can be.
Moments like this remind us that our next moment is not assured. So, what are we waiting for? Most of us, including my son, have things they want to do or changes they want to make, but we always seem to be waiting for the time to be right. I'm not suggesting that we recklessly drop everything we are doing to follow our dreams, but I am suggesting that we not be seduced into believing there will be plenty of time for them. Here are three things I think we need to consider:
What's my purpose? I've talked a lot about purpose in my blogs. That's because I know it's what gnaws at so many people. If you're not at peace with your purpose, what questions do you need to be asking yourself to find out what it is? How do you take the first step to figure that out?
What's the first step? If you have somewhere you want to go, something you want to do, or some life change you want to make, now might not be the most ideal time to fully commit to the journey. However, that doesn't mean that now isn't the perfect time to take the first step. What does that look like? How can you make space in your life to take it?
Who do you need to make peace with? Most of us can probably think of a least one person that we need to have a conversation with. However, we keep putting it off because we know it will be uncomfortable and we think we'll have time to do it later. No matter what's going on in your life, there's time to mend bridges and get on the same page with the people that are most important. What could be the value of having that conversation today? What level of peace could be waiting on the other side of it for the both of you?
The speed and urgency of our busy world tries to hide the scenery of our journey. We even lose sight of where we're going as we dodge the obstacles in front of us. Sometimes, the blessing that's hidden in situations like my son’s car accident is perspective. What perspective would you have if you were in that accident or got that phone call? Would you do anything about it? If this blog hits close to home and you want someone to walk with you while you figure it out, I'd love to help.