Surprised By Grace

I was on my way home from making a quick trip to the store for a grocery pickup order and was stopped at a traffic light with a couple dozen other cars. I was only a few blocks away from my home. And then it happened. 

In a moment that felt both like the blink of an eye and also slow-motion, my foot slipped off of the brake pedal and momentarily refused to cooperate with my brain. As I struggled unsuccessfully to get my foot back on the brake, all I could do was watch my car rolling closer and closer to the car ahead of me. I was helpless as I said “No, no, no” and heard the crunch that stopped my car from rolling. I said a quick prayer for God to help me through the next few minutes that I knew would be awkward.

The driver of the car I hit jumped out of his car and uttered some form of expletive, then motioned for us to cross over the lane next to us to reach a small parking lot. I nodded and followed him over. I didn’t plan what happened next, but as I turned my car off and started to exit my vehicle, I began to tear up. I don’t usually cry easily, but I guess my body just reacted spontaneously to the reality of being the only party responsible for what had just happened. 

My first words to the thirty-or-forty-something man with a broken accent were, “I’m so sorry, sir.” As I prepared to take pictures of the damage with my phone, he asked me, “What were you doing? Were you on your phone?” To which I replied with a wavering voice through my tears, “No, I was not on my phone. My foot slipped off the brake pedal, and I couldn’t get my foot to work fast enough to stop the car. I’m old, and sometimes my feet don’t work right.”

The innocent man started examining the damage to his vehicle (at least one dent), and after a minute he said, “You know what?” I said, “What?” And that’s when he spoke words I wasn’t expecting to hear: “I forgive you.” My response was, “Are you kidding?” He repeated, “I forgive you.” And I persisted, “Are you sure?” He quietly said, “Yes, you have a good rest of your day.” Shocked, I muttered something like, “Thank you . . . bless you!” And then he got in his car and drove away. 

I returned to my car and immediately was overwhelmed with both tears and the realization that I had just encountered grace – both from a stranger and from God. And I was reminded of how God’s forgiveness is a free gift and how God’s grace is unexpected and unmerited . . . and yet generously poured out on all who choose to fully trust him. 

I would have preferred to not have this recent experience, but I am grateful for the opportunity to once again be made aware of God’s love and care for me and his gift of grace that I first trusted when I was just a child. As I drove the rest of the way home, I prayed that God would bless the young man who had chosen to bless me . . . and that he would have the opportunity to know and trust the God I love in the future if he has not already made that choice. Grace truly is an amazing thing!