In January, 2012 Kelli Groves and her 2 daughters, Sage 10 and infant 10 week old Mylo were in a precarious situation. Their car was dangling 100 feet in the air on the side of a bridge, just south of Buellton, California. An 18-wheeler had crashed into their car, pushing their car over the guardrail, killing the 48 year-old big rig driver.
- The car stopped on top of the guardrail
- Within minutes the fire dept was on the scene ,
"A fire captain said to his chief, 'We need a heavy duty forklift to secure that vehicle, but ours is 45 minutes away." "Unbelievably, that's exactly what passed by at exactly that moment. Only it didn't belong to the fire department, it belonged to the Navy Seabees.
- A crew of Navy Seabees who happened to be nearby provided a industrial fork lift that was able to stabilize the car. This gave the emergency workers the time they needed to rescue the family.
- 10 year old Sage had placed a blanket over her head to watch a video just moments before the accident that protected her face from shattered glass.
- Baby Mylo slept peacefully in her car seat.
- Although they all suffered injuries they have recovered and are doing well.
Breathtaking! Amazing, Miraculous! How could anyone survive? My mind was overwhelmed by the goodness of God in the midst of this horrible accident. Yet I was surprised by how the mother responded. Not with shouts of Joy to God for His provision but with surprise that all these events had shown up together, that everything worked out! In my naivety I expected her to say, "God is so good! He supplied our every need!" It mad me sad! Sad that people can not see the work of God in their own lives and in the lives of their children. Sad that He is not being acknowledged.
It was not luck, but His grace that intervened on this day!
Hallelujah!
O my soul, praise God!
All my life long I’ll praise God,
singing songs to my God as long as I live.
Don’t put your life in the hands of experts
who know nothing of life, of salvation life.
Mere humans don’t have what it takes;
when they die, their projects die with them.
Instead, get help from the God of Jacob,
put your hope in God and know real blessing!
God made sky and soil,
sea and all the fish in it.
He always does what he says—
he defends the wronged,
he feeds the hungry.
God frees prisoners—
he gives sight to the blind,
he lifts up the fallen.
God loves good people, protects strangers,
takes the side of orphans and widows,
but makes short work of the wicked.
God’s in charge—always.
Zion’s God is God for good!
Hallelujah!
Psalm 146
I thought the exact same thing. She said, "Thank goodness," but there was never, ever any "Thank God," for it was He who provided the many miracles that day.
ReplyDeleteSo true. Thank you Lord for the many miracles that surrounded this beautiful family that day.
ReplyDeleteHi...just poking around your blog after seeing this episode of Dateline. Though I am listening to others' wisdom, I would like to offer this reflection --- those who do good deeds from a truly pure, selfless place do not seek - or want - a public callout of gratitude. The reward is in the doing, which often transcends simple human words. The deed itself, the outcome and the lessons are enough of an "accolade." Grace, service and gratitude were everywhere that day, and still live on in each person who was present, the family itself, and in everyone who sees this episode. The affirmation of hope and life, the "uncanny" coming together of elements and strangers in service, is the ultimate of miracles and was, I'm sure, purposefully performed. Isn't it enough, then, that this story shines as it's meant to? Is it not enough that the first responders, the members of the public and the service men came together that day - risking their own safety - in the relentless quest to save lives? Isn't it absolutely beautiful that the mother sat in the car for 2 hours with blood from her one child on one hand, and her other hand firmly holding the car seat of her other? What a beautiful symbol of faith! Isn't it enough that all of those responders went home that night with their hearts full of joy and gratitude for what they had witnessed? And finally, isn't it more than enough that the mom, after enduring that terror, heard her recently deceased father's name in the name of the EMT - and felt his protection and love, too - at the time when she needed it the most? How can she be at all criticized by another human for words she said, or did not say, in a TV interview about an ordeal most of us will only hear about? Doesn't that criticism defy the very message of this entire story? Every element of that story is what we all in this crazy world need the most. I would think that is the biggest thank you ever. I feel richer for knowing about this story and will be passing it along. However, nothing ever seems to be "enough" for some (unless their personal prescription is followed) -- in this case, thanking God on TV. Then, the message of the "work" becomes lost. How wasteful! How limiting!
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