Comforted to Comfort Others

Yesterday as we drove home from Stratton in eastern Colorado, we saw the immediate aftermath of a car accident only a few miles into our trip. Personal items from the small sedan littered the interstate. A mother stood with her young son (4 years old) in her arms behind the car that was crumpled in the grassy median. It was clear by the utter state of disbelief on her face that she was in shock. We pulled over to help however we could. I walked across to the mother and urged her to come sit with her small son in our car as we waited for the emergency vehicles to arrive.

It struck me then that part of my urgency in wanting to stop to help was the fact that I knew all too well the state of disbelief and shock she felt in that moment. As I walked across to help her I wondered if God had allowed our accident so that I'd be better prepared to reach out and embrace this woman in her moment of need.

We only remained at the accident site for a little over thirty minutes. We didn't witness the actual crash when her car reportedly locked up on her and rolled, so the highway patrol let us go. The care of the mother and her son had been taken over by the paramedics, so our job was done.

As we drove away, our five year old drilled us with loads of questions about this accident and in how it related to ours. She had not wanted to stay, and pleaded when we first stopped to keep going to Nana and Papa's, but we felt compelled to stay. The sweetest question she asked by far was, "Mommy, why did we stop and love people we didn't even know?" It lead to a wonderful and treasured conversation about Jesus living in our hearts and comforting us through people we knew (she was wondering where the people they knew were) after our accident so that we could comfort people like that mother and her son since they didn't have people they knew nearby... and so on...

Only God knows how this accident and the actions we took impacted her heart, but it was sweet to get a glimpse in how it opened her heart to see and hear how God loves us, and how it helps us love others. Thanking Him for already using this trial to bless us and to work in our daughter's heart!