Friday, July 18, 2008

High Speed Chase

My husband is in the wrong profession. He may be a pastor on the weekends and a landman during the week, but in my opinion, he totally missed his calling. He should have been a bounty hunter.

Several nights ago, at 11:30 p.m., my phone rang. It was Mark. He said, “First of all, I want you to know that I am okay.”

You know that any middle-of-the-night phone conversation that begins with that statement is loaded. I pulled myself out of a deep sleep and braced myself for the unknown.

He continued. “I got hit by a drunk driver. Or at least I think he was drunk. It was a hit and run.”

Okay. I have now found a tried-and-true substitute for caffeine. I was wide awake in an instant. “A hit and run? Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked him.

“Oh, yeah. I’m standing here at the other guy’s truck. He sustained a lot more damage than I did.”

The other guy’s truck? “I thought you said it was a hit and run,” I said, with a sinking feeling in my stomach. Remember, I’ve lived with this man for seventeen years. I know what he is likely to do in any given situation.

“Oh, yeah. I chased him down,” he said, as if this were the most normal conversation in the world. Why was I not surprised, not even a little?

But of course, I played the part of the delicate Southern Belle, shocked and appalled at such reckless behavior. I know my role in this relationship. “You what? Sweetheart, you could have been killed! What if he had a gun?”

“Aww, I stayed far enough behind that he couldn’t have shot me,” he said. I didn’t know you could hear a swagger. But I promise you, there was a swagger in his voice.

Silence. I honestly didn’t know which question to ask next. “Did you call the police?” I finally asked.

“Yeah, they’re here now. There were two guys in the car, and they got away. They left the truck behind and took off on foot.”

Sheesh! Why can’t my life be a little more boring?

So, long story short, I’m glad we have good insurance. His truck is now fixed. I have no idea what happened with the fugitives. And as long as I live, I will never understand why testosterone forces men to do the things they do. But I have learned to “accept the things I cannot change,” as the serenity prayer says.

But the truth is, Mark chased down those guys for a number of reasons. He was mad. He wanted justice. And he wanted his truck fixed.

Have you ever noticed that we really do chase down the things that are important to us? If money is important to us, we will run after it. If beauty or fame or success is at the top of our priority list, we will follow those things until we think we’ve found them. The funny thing is, we often end up just like Mark, chasing things that we never truly catch.

But I’ve learned that if we spend our time chasing down the truly important things in life, things like God’s wisdom and love, we will always be successful in our pursuits. After all, God doesn’t run from us, and He doesn’t hide. He offers His wisdom and love freely to all – even hit and run drivers.

And even testosterone-filled husbands.

James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”

9 comments:

Felisol said...

Dear Claire,
wow, yours is even worse than my hubby. He will not accept anything from his fellow roadfarers either either.
I pray "Grant me patience, Lord, but hurry."
Luckily our husbands are well protected by the Lord.
I'm just an old protestant lady, but in our car there' a medallion of St.Christopher hanging.
Just to remind both the Lord and my hubby.
From Felisol

Renae said...

Hi Felisol! Isn't it great that we can trust God with those we love?

Love,
Renae

Mrs. Fox said...

It's the things tht make us worry about them that also make us love them so much. I'm glad that he was okay. You never know, they might catch the driver although he probably won't have insurance. If nothing else he doesn't have a vehicle.

Renae said...

You're right. The very qualities that drew me to him in the first place are the qualities that make me worry about him! I'm glad it turned out well. I just worry about the "what-if's". :-)

Cheryl Barker said...

You know what else is neat, Renae? We are important to God, and He will chase after US!

Renae said...

Oh, Cheryl! Why didn't I think of that! I think I need to write a whole new article! ;-)

Britta Coleman said...

My goodness, I'm glad he's okay! A friend of ours is a bank manager and he just went through a robbery. Amazing how people respond in different situations.

I do like the idea of a God-chasing article. :)

Renae said...

Thanks Britta! Yes, I'm glad God was watching out for him. I do think I'll try to rework the article with a God-chasing emphasis. Or who knows, maybe I'll just start from scratch!

Great to see you!

Anonymous said...

Worrying about your partner always increases your love for him.