Looking For A Way Out?

I had been feeling really bad for several days, and as a result I had not gotten much sleep at all. On this particular day I really did not 't feel like getting out of bed at all, but unfortunately I was in the military at the time and they did not let you just call in sick...nope you had to show up for morning formation first and then inform them that you were sick and then get permission to go to the hospital. So I dragged myself out of bed and managed to get behind the wheel of my car.

It was still dark outside and the hot humid Panama air made me want to go back to sleep...so I turned up the stereo in the car hoping that the vibrations from the sub-woofers would keep me awake. Unfortunately, my plan failed because I was jolted awake by the blaring horn and the glare of two extremely bright high beams from the car that was aimed directly at me. I had dosed off and was driving on the wrong side of the road, in an attempt to rectify the situation I jerked the steering wheel hard to the right to get back on my side of the road. That turned out to be a bad move, because the street was very narrow and my front right tire went over the edge of the road. I panicked and jerked the wheel to the left causing the car to spin, then flip and roll several times until coming to rest and landing upside down in a patch of jungle off the side of the road. It happened really fast and at the same time it seemed to almost be in slow motion. I didn't even have time for a long drawn out prayer I had just enough time to say Jesus! As the car was rolling I heard glass breaking and metal bending, and when it came to rest I was still inside, laying on the ceiling of the car.

After a quick check everything seemed to still be in place, the only injury I seemed to have was some minor cuts and scratches on my left arm. Finding myself still alive I was extremely grateful and thankful that my life had been spared. As I lay there thanking God, I heard a voice from outside the car...someone was calling to see if I was all right. I answered back and told I him that I was still alive. He said that he had seen the whole thing and was surprised that I was still alive. He started to say something else but stopped and shouted "Hey I smell gas!" "You Better get out of There!!!" I couldn't see out of the windows as the car was upside down...but I could hear his footsteps running away from the car.

Immediately I was went from being happy and thankful for being alive to letting my thoughts and imagination run wild...after all on TV every time a car crashes or flips over what happens next? It blows up that's what! I started to panic..all I knew was that I had to get out of there before I blew up or caught on fire.

I reached for the door handle but no luck it would not budge. I became desperate and began pounding on the window trying to break it so that I could climb out of it. It was getting hopeless the harder I banged the stronger the window seemed to be. To make matters worse I kept feeling something brushing against my legs...something itchy and scratchy...but I didn't have time to look down so I just reached down by my legs to brush whatever it was away..and then I returned to banging on the window.

This process took place for several minutes...bang bang bang on the window and then brush off my legs, bang bang bang...brush brush...until finally after getting so upset that the window wouldn't break I looked down to see what was irritating the crap out of me and brushing against my legs.........

I was completely embarrassed to discover that from the waist down...my body was already hanging out of the car and it was the jungle grass that was brushing up against my legs the entire time. After gathering what was left of my dignity I slid the rest of me out of the car and managed to make it a safe distance away from the car just as the paramedics were arriving. (The car never blew up by the way)

The whole experience served as a learning experience for me...here a couple of things I walked away with after that:

We are easily moved from gratitude to being ungrateful:

When I realized that I was still alive...I was happy and thankful just for being alive...but just like that, when I thought the situation had changed and that I was still in danger I began to be fearful and panic and grumble and complain, Like God was good enough or smart enough to save me from being killed while the car was flipping only to leave me trapped helplessly inside to blow up...duh! That wrong attitude or lack of gratitude delayed me from seeing my way out and left me momentarily stranded and without hope.

The Way out is always there, we just have to look:

Because of my bad attitude, and being fearful...I didn't see the way out that was there all along. Not only was there a way out for me...I was half way through it already. Like most people do, I was trying to make my own way and was quite unsuccessful in doing so, and like a lot of people it wasn't until I was exhausted of trying to do it my way that I was able to see my way clear. I can't count the times when I have seen other people do the same thing...they are so close...even halfway out of their situation as I was and then they give up and become ungrateful and defeated.

I wanted to share this with you today to encourage those of you who are trying to do it your way...to relax and look for the way that has already been provided for you. I also wanted to encourage you to not get caught up in or allow yourself to be tricked into being ungrateful. No matter where you find yourself in life, or whatever test or trial you may be experiencing...just know that there is always a way out...always. The Bible declares that there are no test or temptation that we experience that are uncommon...and that with each and every one of those things there is always a "Way Out!" Instead of complaining or fretting...just take the time to ask God to reveal to you the "Way Out" and trust me..He Will!