Pathways Press.com

MEDITATION:

Written by Vickie Stone.

One of the ways I see God at work in the world today is when I hear of situations of amazing forgiveness. One such example I recall was from a horrible car accident 5 years ago here in San Diego….The driver was a 33-year-old woman. Driving home to Encinitas late one foggy night she glimpsed a vehicle, with no lights on, coming straight toward her. Everything went black. She woke up in her car with the dashboard and windshield sitting in her lap, a stranger trying to put flames out with a fire extinguisher, rescuers using the jaws of life to free her from her crushed vehicle. The wrong-way driver was a 20-year-old college student who had been out drinking with his friends. His car was a fireball, and he did not survive. She had no insurance; her family was back in Australia, and she was recently divorced. I remember thinking how would I manage such a situation?

She was in a coma for a week and woke up not able to feel or move her legs; with staples down her torso holding her together. The doctors told her the right side of her body had been crushed with broken bones from her feet to her neck.  Two weeks in the hospital, five surgeries, and a month in rehabilitation provided her plenty of time to think. She was determined to get better. Instead of self-pity, she envisioned the accident as the path to use her misfortune to help others.  She opened a healing-from-within center to mentor others that experience traumatic events. The family of the wrong-way driver reached out to the woman after the crash. She assured them that she forgave him; that he was a boy being young who did something foolish which cost him his life. Every year she takes flowers to the side of the freeway on the anniversary of his death. She prays for him regularly. Much can be learned from such forgiveness from someone that suffered so much and yet reaches out to help others.

PRAYER:

Written by Kirstyn Mayden, a contemporary Christian author.

Dear God, when we feel hopeless, restore our hope in who You are. Reaffirm our strength and hope that are found in You, and not what we see. Remind us of the purposes that you have for us and the resources to accomplish what You have called us to do. Remind us of your faithfulness and to not lose hope in Your goodness, provision, and sovereignty. Revive our hope in You to inspire, encourage, comfort, and restore all that has been lost and broken.

MUSIC MEDITATION:

In Christ Alone:  Performed by Josh Groban.

This song was written by Rodgers and Hammerstein for the musical Carousel.