By: Tom Wolff

It was a beautiful sunny day in southern Missouri, and I was eastbound on I-44. Ahead of me was a sloping downhill stretch of highway where there was a large, wide grassy median, separating the eastbound and westbound lanes. I suddenly noticed on the other side of the highway headed west, a small dark-colored pick-up truck in the process of passing a tractor-trailer. The tractor-trailer, without warning, began to pull into the left lane, apparently oblivious to the fact that the space was already occupied. The pick-up driver swerved into the median, and I began to calculate my options.

As professional drivers, we are, or should be, always role-playing in our minds the various situations that can happen – mentally developing a response or maneuver that could prevent an accident or at least minimize damage. Life does come at you fast on the highway. If you are not constantly rehearsing evasive moves in your mind you can find yourself in deep trouble quickly.

The apostle Paul teaches, speaking of our enemy, “we are not unaware of his schemes”(2 Cor 2:11). In other words, as we mature as Christians, we understand how the enemy attacks us, and we have built our defenses and strategies against him to minimize being ambushed. Likewise, practicing our strategies on the highways may help us make life-saving decisions in an unexpected disintegrating moment.

I was praying the pick-up driver would steer the small truck to simply stay in the median but that didn’t happen. It appeared the truck would enter the eastbound traffic traveling at full speed. I checked my speed and the oncoming speed of the out-of-control vehicle to see if or where we might meet. Should I accelerate to hopefully avoid a catastrophic collision with the small truck or should I slow down?

As I continued by speed and direction, it became obvious that we were on a collision course. I was in the left lane at the time and, as the small truck approached me, I floored my truck hoping to get past the space where we would meet. I moved into the right lane and then onto the shoulder. In a fraction of a second, the little truck narrowly missed hitting the end of my trailer, and ran head-on into the car behind me who had also moved onto the shoulder. Because the car had also moved to the right, the left front wheel of the pick-up rode up over the left side of the hood of the car and, now on two wheels, headed back into the median where it rolled over and landed on its side. By the time I got stopped and out of my truck, a young lady sprang up out of the window of the pick-up and managed to get out.

The totaled car had five people inside. The front of the car was flattened, and the windshield was completely shattered. Unbelievably, everyone in both vehicles declared they were fine. The people in the car were Christian believers, and we prayed together before we parted ways.

I resumed my trip as a flood of emotions caught up to me. That was definitely a Super. Close. Call. I imagined the possibilities of what might have been and was thankful that my mental preparations had paid off.

According to Hebrews 9:27, each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment. That’s the reality that awaits each of us – an appointed day – but for seven of us grateful drivers, it wouldn’t be that day. Be certain though, that we each will have our final day. On that day, I pray you are ready to meet the Lord. Please don’t risk your life on an uncertain outcome. You can be certain of your eternal destination. Romans 10:9 declares that if you, “confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Not “might be” – will be. I pray you to make it certain today.

Stay safe out there.