Thank you, Jina.

This morning started out like many Saturday mornings before. My new schedule has put my body into auto-pilot at about 5:00am whether I want to wake up or not. The positive side, I get up and out and do all my errands before 12:00pm. It was just like any other Saturday until a black Mercedes decided to change lanes into mine causing me to slam on my brakes and hit a parked car.

I’m fine. And actually, I’m a really good driver! There is hardly any damage, I’m not hurt, and neither is anyone else. Praise Jesus!

But that car sped off. As it drove off, I was still in semi shock that what had happened just happened. However I started frantically pointing at the cars driving pass me, and miming: “GO GET THAT CAR!!! PLEASE!!”

As the owner of the car I hit came out with his boss, I got out of my car and my body took over. As this “boss” man tried to figure out what had happened and had obviously made up his mind that I did something wrong to cause it, he asked “Were you not paying attention?” As I tried to explain what had happened he would cut me off and ask if I understood the questions he was asking. Thankfully, the owner of the car was much calmer.

It felt horrible. An injustice had happened! This was NOT my fault! And while cars drove by, and spectators just watched, I started to feel helpless. The “boss” man asked if I wanted to get some water – I did. And as I came back out, Jina drove up (same pronunciation, different spelling).

She was driving behind me and saw the entire thing. As soon as she said “I saw what happened, it was totally the other car’s fault” I yelled “thank you Jesus!” at the top of my lungs! She corroborated my story and she also followed the car to get the license plate number. She was in a hurry to leave, but she agreed to give us her name and number.

The police came and took a report, but didn’t seem interested to get any information. I told him “I have a witness!” and he said, “Your insurance will take care of it.”  He never asked if I was okay. He never ran the license plate. He never said “I’ll go get the bad guy.” The one who I expected to bring help didn’t.

After speaking to my insurance company, I wanted to lay down and go to bed. I never wanted to drive again. But I made myself get in my car and finish my errands…even if it was almost 12:00 by this time. As I drove, I looked at every black Mercedes license plate I saw…and I saw a lot of them! If the people I expected to help me wouldn’t, then I would help myself!

At some point during my hunt…errr…errand running, I all of a sudden thought of Jina. As I thought of her, tears came to my eyes. She saw an injustice and she stopped. She did something when no one else did. She was in a hurry to get somewhere, but she stopped because it was the right thing to do. Not convenient. Not necessary. But right. And as I thought of this I was overjoyed. Honestly, if nothing else comes of this but my insurance company fixing this guys mirror (I’m telling y’all I’m a freaking good driver…that’s all that was damaged!) then I was okay with that because Jina stopped!

Not only did Jina stop, but my car was not damaged. I was not hurt. Nobody else was hurt. There was only minor damage to the other car. The owner of the car was pleasant. The insurance company operator was nice as can be. As soon as I could, I texted my “prayer warriors” and asked for prayer. I realized that I was being helped in so many ways! I would come out of this unscathed and vindicated…I am sure He commanded His angels to protect me!

And of course, like God will often do, I realized in a moment that it was so much more. This accident was an accident but no accident…I realize that there have been times in my life recently where I have expected someone to help, expected someone to see an injustice and stop it, expected someone to pull over and say, “No, this girl has been wronged!” And when no one does, I tend to want to do it myself.

In that instance I realized I don’t need to fight. I don’t need to vindicate myself. God is always working behind the scenes…putting the right people in my path. Setting up the right situations at the right time. Loving me through my friends and family and sometimes through a stranger who just decides to say, “you were wronged.”

So I am thankful for the Jina's in the world who are used by God to remind us that He sees it. He knows it. He fixes it. And He cares.