Some people believe in them. Some don’t. No, I am not talking about aliens or
ghosts. I am referring to coincidences. Or as we say here in East Tennessee: “It just so happened.” Recently, we experienced quite a few of them in one afternoon.
It started when my daughter Sara bought a beautiful vanity from one of our favorite stores in the whole world: Rustic ReDo. We also love its awesome owner: Jeannie Cox. Anyway, we loaded the vanity onto Tim’s truck and went back to our house so Sara could get her car. She went on to her house, which is off of Norris Freeway. As for us, it just so happened we got behind a couple of school buses. So, we decided to go another route to by-pass the school traffic.
Finally, we reached the stop sign on Andersonville Pike. There, you can turn left to go onto to Norris Fwy or you can go straight and continue down Andersonville Pike. I suggested going straight to avoid traffic, but it just so happened that Tim chose to go on the freeway. Upon reaching the bottom of the hill, we saw Sara’s car sitting with its flashers on.
To get out of the traffic, she had pulled onto a road in a subdivision.
When we drove up beside her, she said, “I have a flat tire.” Yep. The rear one on the driver’s side was completely flat. Tim pulled out Sara’s spare tire and jack out of the trunk. The jack was almost too small, so he was struggling to raise the car enough to take off the flat tire.
During this time, it just so happened a silver car drove up and parked on the other side of the road from us. Then a school bus stopped and let out three boys who got inside of the silver car. The man in the car told Tim he was going to bring back a jack. A few minutes later he brought back a heavy duty one.
Once the side of the car was high enough, Tim tried to unbolt the lug nuts on the tire, but the wrench was not the right size. It just so happened, the man also had a wrench and went back to his house and got it. After that, it didn’t take long for Tim to change the tire. We were so grateful for his help.
When Tim looked over the flat tire, he discovered a sawed-off nail buried into it. Sara said she had heard a couple of loud pops as she drove through the intersection of Emory Rd. and Maynardville Hwy. A few seconds later the low-pressure symbol appeared in her dashboard. She had hoped to be able to drive back to her house, but by the time she reached the stop sign on Andersonville Pike, she heard loud thumps.
Did you catch all of the italicized: “It just so happened?”
First one, If Tim and I hadn’t taken an alternate route, we would have driven through the same intersection and may have picked a nail in our tire too. Who knows how many of the nails had been strewn on that road?
Second one, Tim chose the route that led to where Sara was sitting.
Third, the man who helped us happed to be there the exact same time we needed him. Plus, he had a jack.
Fourth one, the man also had the wrench Tim needed.“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9 (KJV)
What many would see as luck, we as believers recognize as the handiwork of The Lord. He works in ways that our minds can’t even begin to comprehend. And, to be honest, I think we often take the “It just so happened,” events for granted instead thanking the Lord for His help and providence.
When I thanked the man, I asked if his little boys liked dinosaurs. He answered they loved them. So, I brought them a copy of my, “Dinosaur Eggs,” book and a gift card to Chick-Fil-A. Does it get any better?
Brooke Cox is an author, speaker, and storyteller. She was a 2016 Selah Awards Finalist for her debut novel. Her children’s book, Dinosaur Eggs, is now available. It is based on Ephesians 6: The Armor of God. Her novel Until the Moon Rises: A Conniving Cousin Mystery is also available. Also, she has two books out in her storytelling series: Saucy Southern Stories. The Amazon links for her books may be found on her website: brookecoxstories.com. Please feel free to contact her. She would love to hear from you.