The Kingdom-Driven Family

On my way to the Farmers Market today, I was happily listening and singing along with Judy Roger’s CD Never Be Shaken, a collection of Psalms put to music.  The title song is taken from Psalm 112 and the lyrics include a list of those who will never be shaken.  It goes,

Who may dwell, Lord, in Your sanctuary?
Who may live, Lord, on Your holy hill?
The vile man He will abhor, honors those who fear the Lord.
He who keeps the Word even when it hurts….
He, oh Lord, may dwell with Thee.

Little did I know I would have a chance to live that out within the hour.

As I was backing out of my parking space, I noticed a woman trying to button up the coat of her toddler, who was doing his best to escape her hold.  Since my car was already in motion, I focused on not hitting the darting child. Then I heard a loud crash; I had hit a parked F-150 truck with a lot of force.  The mother grabbed her son and raced off.

I immediately left my car to assess the damage, and discovered that although my car had taken the brunt of the hit, there was some damage to the truck’s bumper.  I asked around to see if anyone knew whose truck it was.  No success.  So, after I took a photo of the license and the damage, I left a note explaining what happened on the truck’s windshield.  I waited some more and finally saw the owner return.  I jumped out of the car and let him know I had hit his vehicle and had left the note.

We exchanged information and I could see that he was grateful that I had not just driven away but had told the truth (kept the Word), even when it hurt.  I explained the situation, and took the opportunity to tell him that although this was not what I had planned for today, God knew beforehand and He was in control.  The man commented, “And you only hit a truck, not a child!”

So, what was hurt?  Well,  a punctured bumper with a sizeable dent, my bank account most definitely, and quite possibly a hike in our insurance premium.  However, what is not hurt is the reality that when you are governed by God’s law-word and remain steadfast in that conviction, you will never be shaken.  And, I wasn’t.