How I came to believe in God

The parkway looked a lot like this.
Picture is courtesy of Kerosene Photography

Near where I grew up, there was a parkway.  I had to cross it every day to get to and from school.

This parkway was a very busy 4 lane highway.  Accidents happened at the crossing regularly.

When I was 17, I sometimes drove to school.  I could avoid crossing the parkway by driving an extra distance to another crossing that had an overpass.  I often did drive this extra distance, but one day, I forgot.

Rather than turning around, and driving the extra five or ten minutes, I decided that I could wait for an opening in the traffic.  It was near dusk and it was rush hour.

There was a lot of traffic.  I thought I had an opening to cross, but realized when I was halfway across that I had made a mistake.  A car was fast approaching me. So I put on my brakes hard.  I stopped in the middle of the 4 lane road.

I didn't get hit.  I didn't see the car swerve. I didn't hear any horns or screeching tires.

The next thing I remember is that the car was way past me.  It was safe to continue crossing.

It was surreal and unexplainable.  I don't think there is any way to speed up really fast to cross and then to stop in the middle of the parkway and for nothing to happen. There wasn't even any space in the middle.

I remember thinking that I was going to be really hurt or dead.  And yet nothing happened.

It doesn't make sense. I attribute it to God.  Of course, there are other possible explanations. Maybe I was hullucinating and there was no car.  Maybe the event didn't happen how I remember it.  Maybe physics can someday explain such an event where there is a loss of space and time.

I've come to believe in God.  There are also other things, that you might call coincidences, but I think that God plays a roll.  I can't proove it.  But it is just a feeling.

This is of special importance to me because I grew up in a non-religous household. My Dad is an atheist and my Mom undecided.  I never thought that I would believe in God.

My belief in God has been helpful in coping with my moods. I can pray to God and it seems to help. I've also come to realize that I'm here on this earth, doing what I am doing, for a reason.  I guess that's all I'll say for now.