A few weeks ago, my car was totaled by what my insurance agency called a "wave of death." This is what they describe as the behavior of someone who wants to be polite, who happens to have the right of way, and who waves either a pedestrian or another vehicle into traffic. This driver may believe they are performing a selfless act for a stranger, when in fact, they are putting that person or vehicle in potentially mortal danger.
This was the case with me. I was in the righthand lane with no stop sign or stoplight in the vicinity. A vehicle in the lefthand lane decided, for some unknown reason, to stop to give the wave of death to an oncoming pickup truck who wanted to turn left into a side street. That driver did not see me coming and I had no idea that this truck was about to turn in front of me, and that was it. My 18-year-old Subaru, which had 187,000 miles on it, and could have gone for another 100,000 miles, was finished. His truck was barely damaged and he happened to have no insurance (but still stayed at the scene, which the police said was very unusual!).
Three weeks prior to this event, I had been released from the hospital after having a number of different infections, viruses, and parasites, and was then told by my doctor a few days later that they suspected that I had multiple myeloma (cancer of the blood). I was referred to a hematology oncologist. There was a sense of a different kind of "wave of death" that rolled over our family as we weighed this news. The following week, I ended up in the emergency room again as my heart began to act up, and I ended up with a heart monitor for the next two weeks, and a heart rate that continues to be erratic.
And then the accident.
What was going on? Was it a series of unfortunate events? Was it a spiritual attack? Was it testing? All of the above? None of the above? There was a lot of speculation.
Regardless, this past week we met again with the hematology oncologist and he informed us that he does not believe I have cancer. He believes that I was sick enough that my numbers have been thrown off and continue to be off from that series of illnesses. There is speculation that my heart issues may also stem from issues surrounding the viruses and may eventually settle down, although this week I will have an echocardiogram yet to ensure that my heart is okay.
We are very thankful to God for healing and for the ability to continue with work and ministry. While we experience a "wave of death" which brings potentially mortal danger into our path, it is truly a gift to know that God is close by and is in control, regardless of the outcome.
I heard a song recently that has been playing in my head over and over again. It is called "Surrounded" by Michael W. Smith and is quite repetitive, but it needed to be that way for me to finally settle into my brain. It says, "And I believe you've overcome and I will lift my song of praise for what you've done...so my weapons are praise and thanksgiving. This is how I fight my battles." It then goes on to say, "It may look like I'm surrounded, but I'm surrounded by You."
Whatever "wave of death" that you may sense around you, I pray that you remember who it is that surrounds you. And continue to fight your battles with the weapons of praise and thanksgiving.
Oh, and if you drive, resist the urge to be a good samaritan on the road when you can't fully control traffic. You may be saving a life by denying a goodwill gesture.
