somebody's good day
can be
somebody's bad day.
couple of days ago,
it took me almost three hours to get home after work.
someone told me that the 405 freeway was jammed-
avoid the freeway at all costs.
our vanpool took a detour on the surface streets;
we thought we were being smart.
everyone was smart and took that exact same street,
so essentially, no car was moving.
bored as can be,
i nonchalantly took my cell phone out
and flipped through instragram
and one my friend's instastory had a picture of her home
and she wrote,
"best day ever! it only took me 22 minutes to get home!
left at 4pm and got home at 4:22.
this never happens!
#startofagoodweek"
she probably saved extra time.
with that time, she could have done so many things.
relax, cook, play, walk, dance, exercise.
whatever. she was home.
major prime traffic time and she was home.
i felt a bit jealous!
i had a long day's work,
and my baby is waiting for me.
wish my commute was 22 minutes...
at this time, i had no idea
how long it would take me to get home.
i closed instagram, and googled "405 freeway accident".
the only reason why a freeway would close would be
either for construction or accident.
because there was no notification about construction on the 405,
i figured it was an accident.
when the search completed,
i had to put my phone down a bit.
"3 injured in fiery big rig crash on the 405 freeway"
noted the news headline.
what?
3 people injured?
fire?
big rig?
crash?
what happened?
i click on the link and saw a big rig flipped over to its side,
tumbled over the median.
apparently, a silver honda accord is sandwiched somewhere in between
and 3 people had third degree burns over 60% of their body.
a car cut off the truck,
truck driver tried to avoid it,
ended up sandwiching the honda,
hit the median, causing the rig to tumble across the median,
the concrete and rocks tumbled over
and hit the traffic on the other side
causing a 7-vehicle crash in total.
good samaritans came to the rescue and
helpedthe sandwiched driver out of the fiery car.
the injured folks were transported to ucla hospital right away.
north bound, south bound, side streets.
it didn't matter.
every road home was blocked, closed, and immobile.
then it all came to me like a flash.
my friend had no traffic whatsoever
because of this terrible accident.
she was having the best day ever
because someone had been injured in this terrible car crash.
someone's good day
can be
someone's bad day.
i don't know who the injured people are.
but i am sure they are someone's beloveds.
and i am also pretty sure none of them got up this morning
and imagined that their bodies would burn up due to a car accident.
someone's mistake,
someone's carelessness,
someone's self-centered mindset,
caused a life altering accident
on other people's lives.
this accident affected tens of thousands' lives
as people were stuck in traffic on the most horrible freeway in LA.
this accident changed the lives of the injured and their family members, forever.
with this incident,
i did not dare to complain about my three hour commute back home.
instead, i reflected on the fickleness of life,
how without God's grace and mercy,
life is like ashes.
i realized the necessity of being thoughtful and careful about
how i express good things happening in my life...
as it might remind/trigger sad things in other people's lives.
i reasoned that my one little mistake
can create a domino effect and endanger so many people
and alter their lives.
this only amplified the nothingness of our being
and everythingness of God's sovereignty.
everything is
under His control,
at His mercy,
in His grace.
every.single.second.
is orchestrated with His divine power.
knowing that i am nothing and at His disposal
makes me feel
loved.
nothing, disposal.
these words have no connection to love whatsoever.
but that's how it works in God's kingdom.
in my nothingness, His greatness is revealed.
while i am at His disposal, His grace is amplified.
He demonstrates His love for me
every.single.second.
of my life.
all i have to do is just...
embrace it.
1 Chronicles 29:11-12
Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, Lord, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all.
12
Wealth and honor come from you;
you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all.
