An "Act of God" Incident

Over the years I have made references to why this weekly message is titled Flat Tire Ministries, yet if you are new to the blog it is worth noting that over a period of two to three years of my life I experienced an unusually high number of flat tires. Non-coincidentally, during that same period of my life, I experienced a number of figurative "flat tires" that posed the potential for my family and I to be stuck on the curb of life's highway if I didn't get out of the life situation and fix the flat! I learned a great deal about resilience, grit, and perseverance through that period in my life, I developed character through adversity, and I grew immensely in the area of servant leadership as God taught me that my life is not about me. 

 

Interestingly, my wife and I have also been the recipients of a rather high number of busted windshields, each the victim of flying debris coming off the road and landing of all places right there in the middle of our windshield. I haven't researched it, but I would go out on a limb and say our five busted windshields ranks pretty high for families in the busted windshield arena. Nothing like our nearly 30 flat tires, yet more than the average family experiences through their comings and goings. So, if I figured out that God was using those flat tires to spur me forward in life, then using the same methodology leads me to believe God has a purpose for our busted windshields as well. Let's dig in to that analogy a little deeper. 

My guess is the majority of folks driving a vehicle on the highways and by-ways across the world have at one time or another had a rock, pebble, or some other debris bounce around on the road in front of you only to watch the last bounce land the object reflecting off your windshield. We possibly flinch, winch a bit, and then we survey our windshield to see if there is any damage that was not there literally a few seconds ago.  Fortunately, not every reflected ding off our windshields creates damage that must be repaired or replaced, but unfortunately many times we are faced with trailing spider legs of cracks, or direct impacts that actually shatter the area impacted forcing us to replace the windshield in our cars, trucks, or SUVs. If God uses flat tires to help us learn to persevere through adversity then surely He can use a busted windshield to teach us a valuable lesson for living life and living it more abundantly for Him!

 

Many times, the debris flying up off the road is birthed in a vehicle’s tire, chassis or attached trailer then hitting a little chug hole in the road releases the aforementioned rock, or other formidable loose debris causing it to bounce around the road until it lands on our forward driving glass window. On one personal occasion I happened to get the name of the company that owned the construction vehicle from whence the object was propelled. I searched out their business number and called to inform them that their truck had launched a missile of sorts into my windshield and wanted to request that they compensate me for the now shattered windshield. Much to my chagrin, the owner of the business on the other end of the phone informed me that I could contact his insurance company, but it wouldn't get me anywhere because that type of accident is considered an "Act of God". Basically, meaning that an accident such as a rock bouncing up off the road cannot be predicted or prevented so it is considered an "Act of God".  

 

How fitting, a busted windshield for the most part is considered an "Act of God". Proves my point, job done! But if our busted windshields are a metaphor for something in our life and God wants to use those broken windshields for His benefit, the question begs "What are we supposed to gain from a busted windshield?" For me the answer is clear, (more so than our current windshield), our windshield serves as the lens by which we see where we are going in life. If our windshield gets dirty from bugs and dirt we have to clean it so that we can see where we are going. If our windshield ends up busted as a result of debris flying up and decreasing our visibility then we have to get a repair done or possibly replace our windshield for a new view of where we are going. Our lives are the same way, many times we allow the dirt and debris to distort our visibility of what God has intended for our lives. At other times our life's windshield gets busted and where we thought we were intended to be going is delayed or at best distracted by debris such as relationship matters, work related issues, financial concerns, injuries, or any other type of life event that distorts our view of where God has purposed us to go in this life He gave us to live. 

 

One company that offers repairs or replacements for our vehicle's busted windshields is Safelite. Their mission statement is to "build trust and assure that their customer's experience fuels their company's road to greatness." In our figurative world of busted windshields God provides us with a "Safe Light" as well.  In John 8:12 Jesus says, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." Safelite can repair your car's damaged windshield so you can see where you are going, in the same way God is the light of this world, He can and will fix your busted and broken life and give you a new lens to see where He wants you to go and how He wants you to proceed moving forward. 

 

In closing, you don't hear of too many busted rear windows getting busted, in most part because we look in the rear window to see where we were and to learn from those experiences. God doesn't want us to live in our past, He wants us to live for Him by serving others and moving forward each day. Is your windshield of life cracked? Is your view of God's plan for your life being distorted by the dirt and debris? If so call on God to provide you with the repair you need! God will repair what is broken and He will make your way clear! Call on Him today.

Coach Carter