Beverly’s wonderful day

By Joyce Suttin

IF the purpose of this life is to learn to love God and others, surely Beverly graduated with honors. I lost a great friend when Beverly passed away several years ago, but I learned a lot about positiveness and priorities from the way she lived.

It wasn’t unusual for Beverly to phone around dinnertime to tell me about the wonderful things the Lord had done for her that day, but one phone call stands out.

“Hello. … Oh, Beverly, how are you?”

“I’m just great! I had the most wonderful day!”

“Tell me about it.”

“Well, I was on my way to a job interview when I had an accident.”

“That doesn’t sound so wonderful! Are you okay?”

“I’m in a neck brace and on painkillers, but I’m okay. I only got a whiplash injury, thank the Lord. It could have been much worse.”

“ Beverly, I’m so sorry! Dan and the kids and I will pray for you when we get together for dinner. Is there anything else we can do?”

“Thanks for praying. That’s great! I’m sure the Lord allowed the accident for a good reason, even though my car was totaled—a complete wreck.”

“Oh no! I hope your insurance will cover it.”

“Actually it was my fault and my insurance policy has a $500 deductible, so I guess I will be taking the bus for a while, starting with more job interviews. I didn’t make it to the one today due to the accident, so I’ll need to keep looking.”

“That really doesn’t sound like a wonderful day to me!”

“Well, I got to talk to the tow truck driver about Jesus and he really listened. So did the nurse at the hospital, and she’s interested in Bible classes. But the best came last, when I went to see the mechanic who told me my car was totaled, and our conversation came around to God and His goodness. He’s been having plenty of problems of his own, but he was so happy to learn that Jesus is concerned about him personally and wants to help. He broke down and wept when he prayed with me to invite Jesus into his heart and life. So you see, in spite of the accident and everything that it entailed, I met three great people I probably never would have met otherwise, and one of them received Jesus. It really was a wonderful day!”

What could I say? Without even trying, Beverly had put my own problems into perspective and reminded me that the surest way to be happy is to stay busy trying to bring happiness to others.

P.S.: Beverly’s neck healed well. She saw the tow truck driver and the nurse again, and they both prayed with her to receive Jesus as their Savior. A few days after her accident she met a man who was so impressed by her faith and positiveness that he gave her a used car that was better than the one she had lost.