For the past ten years I have avoided “publicly” commenting on my true feelings about the events that happened a decade ago. Early on, my thoughts and feelings were warped and biased so I am glad I only talked to a few people about it all. As time has passed, those thoughts and feelings have changed as I have seen the reality of the whole situation from a “big picture” perspective.

On March 5, 2016, ten years, or 3,652 days ago, I was involved in a major commercial motor vehicle accident that witnesses said should have easily killed me.¹ As I barreled toward that concrete bridge along I-20 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, I “knew” death was upon me. I remember thinking, “So this is how it ends.” But, needless to say, it wasn’t how it ended. And as I stood there waiting for my ambulance ride amid the wreckage, I couldn’t help but come to the conclusion that God wasn’t done with me yet. There was no other rational explanation as to why I survived hitting a concrete bridge at 70mph, with the tractor/trailer I was driving literally disintegrating around me, the cab of the truck ripping from its frame as it was being tossed into the fast lane of oncoming traffic, and to walk away from it all (bruised and sore, but otherwise ok)! But looking back on that fateful morning, seeing the things that have happened in my life since then, I can only draw this conclusion:

GOD IS GOOD … ALL THE TIME!

Life was miserable ten years ago. My marriage was ending. I was surrounded by people with whom I had no deep ties with and so I had no one close to me to talk to about things. (The closest were 2,400 miles away.) I felt very alienated and I wanted out. And, if I’m honest, I remember feeling somewhat relieved during the chaos of the accident. Relieved that I wouldn’t have to return home to a woman who couldn’t stand the sight of me and who would likely celebrate the news of my demise anyway. And if I’m being completely transparent, although we do communicate with each other today without the ugliness of the past staining every word, I felt the same about her back then. Thanks be to God, I am happy to report I no longer harbor any of those ill feelings I once did.

I had a few rough years after the accident. I left my wife a few months later and headed back to my family and friends. This turned out to be the lowest point of my life. My marriage to the woman I once completely adored had failed and we were not even on speaking terms. That left no avenue for me to talk to my kids whom I desperately missed. And I found out the hard way that the relationships I thought I was going to count on the most to help me recover weren’t what they once were. Again, I found myself feeling all alone.

But our God is full of surprises! And Romans 5:3-5 speaks to me loud and clear to me about this! It says, “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” I knew He had saved me from that horrific wreck for a reason, but I certainly didn’t know what He had in store for me. Before long, I found myself closer to and in conversations with the people I actually needed to help me bounce back from the deep sense of loss I was experiencing. Whether they realized it or not, God used them to point me out of the darkness I was facing. He gave them the right words at the right time to effect the change I desperately needed. Then, life got even better! I met my new wife in 2018, married then relocated to Tennessee in 2020 and got custody of my three youngest kids (the reason for the relocation) in 2021/22.

As if all that wasn’t enough, God still wasn’t done with me! My spiritual life had been on the rocks since about 2015 and I knew it. This is where God did His most amazing work in me. In an attempt to save my failing marriage, I had walked away from the reformed church I so dearly loved in Decatur, Alabama, when my ex-wife decided she was an atheist. I still believed, but I was desperate to save my marriage and was willing to try anything. So I made the worst decision of my life in walking away from my faith. All along, I knew I needed to get back to church and surround myself with a church family. That feeling only got stronger as time went on. And by the spring of 2019, it occupied much of my thoughts. So I announced to my (then) girlfriend of my intention to return to church life. She said she’d be willing to attend with me if I fancied the idea, and of course, I did! It was Easter Sunday of 2019 and, little did we know it, but God was about to unleash some of the plans He had for us. As I was sitting there amazed, knowing I was hearing exactly what God wanted me to hear that day, I glanced over at her and saw tears rolling down her cheeks. It was at that moment I knew this was one of the reasons God spared my life. Not only did He move me to come back to my faith but my future wife, as well!

_{(Here’s when I will skip over much of “the rest of the story” and refer you to my testimony (also linked at the top of this page) for more details. What’s important to know is that God has lead us to an amazing reformed covenant church we are so happy to have found.)}

So if you ask me if God uses difficulties in life to teach and guide people, I will tell you I am literal living proof that He does! Were the hard times hard? They were and they still are! Would I change anything to avoid those hardships if I could? Not even for a moment if it meant sacrificing the faith God has so graciously bestowed upon me! I will leave you by repeating what I said before because, in the end, it’s what I want everyone to know:

GOD IS GOOD … ALL THE TIME!

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NKJV²)

~ Shalom! Shalom! ☧

1. The other party involved in that accident also survived and admitted fault so I was completely admonished of all wrongdoing in the State Trooper’s report. ↩︎
2. Scripture marked “NKJV” are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ↩︎