It was my senior year of high school and my mom and I were on our way to school after another morning spent arguing over things that don’t really even matter. I don’t remember the exact moment that white panel van crashed into my side of the car on that cold morning in December, but there are a few things I do remember very clearly.

My mom asked if I was alright, but I couldn’t respond. The words just wouldn’t come out.

A lady with a kind voice was behind me, pressing a towel that felt wet and cool to the back of my head. She laid the towel beside me, and I noticed it was soaked with bright red blood. I wondered where all the blood was coming from.

I remember very clearly the sound of the jaws of life ripping the top off of the car. A sound I don’t think I will ever forget.

Although I can’t remember the moment of impact, the three tiny scars on my hands tell me I must have used them to cover my face as the airbags deployed and the glass shattered around me.

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The paramedic’s cheeks looked bright red as I felt the helicopter lift off the ground. He smiled at me and told me everything was going to be just fine. I struggled to breathe with only one lung working at the time.

But the biggest thing I remember from that day is how in between each of those moments as I drifted in and out of consciousness, I had the calmest feeling in my heart.

The Lord was with me that morning. His Spirit was surrounding me.

When I see the tiny scars on my hands, I can’t help but think of the scars that were forming in Jesus’s hands as he hung on the cross. The scars He willingly received so I wouldn’t have to be alone that morning. So I would never have to go through the trials of this life alone.

He was right beside me as I covered my face when the van struck. He was in the car as I struggled to stay awake. He was in the helicopter as I struggled to breathe.

His presence was the only thing that could calm my heart. No one else on this earth could give me the peace I needed that morning. Only Him.

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I was saved by the Lord when I was 13 years old. And although I was saved, I wasn’t walking with the Lord the way I should have been. I spent most of my time being disrespectful to my parents and gossiping with friends about others. Bitterness, jealousy, and pride kept me from being the daughter, sister, and friend I should have been to almost everyone in my life. I was so wrapped up in myself that I often forgot to consider the hearts of those around me.

I know now that although I may have left God many times, He has never left me.

He was with me in the hospital as I struggled to recover from all my injuries. He held my hands during physical therapy as I learned how to walk again. And He has been with me every day since. Although it was very hard to go through and has resulted in a daily battle with anxiety, this accident turned out to be one of the biggest blessings in my life. It changed my life for the better.

Not only did I have to learn how to physically walk again with a steel rod in my leg and lots of broken bones that needed to heal, but in the years after and still to this day, I’m learning to walk daily with the Lord. He is still working on me and in my heart.

Being saved didn’t keep me from going through everything I’ve been through, and it won’t keep me from facing hard times in the future, but I know I will never have to face any of it alone.

Everything that happened on that cold morning in December reminded me I had so much left to do with the time I have left on this earth and to never take anyone or anything for granted, especially God and His amazing grace.

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Jesus is with us in all the in-between moments, especially as we struggle. It is so comforting to know even though we may face trials and tribulations in this world, we have the opportunity to have a relationship with God and spend eternity with Him.

I am so grateful He blessed me with another chance at life.

I’m beyond thankful I was able to learn how to walk again and I will get to take each step with Him, knowing He is right beside me no matter what.

Give Jesus your heart, all of it. It will be worth it in the end.

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6, KJV).

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee” (Isaiah 26:3).