I received an e-mail this morning telling of 9/11 survivors who would have been killed that day if not for an inconvenience of one kind or another. A missed bus. An alarm that didn't sound. A traffic jam. A new pair of shoes that caused a blister which in turn resulted in an unexpected stop for bandaids. These are just a few of the stories contained in the e-mail.

As I read, I was reminded of an occasion where I, too, was inconvienced, only to later discover that it may have saved my life. Jason and I were on our way to a church function. At the last minute, I remembered that I needed to make copies of a song for our ladies' ensemble. Staples is not far from our house, so we decided to stop in there before heading to the function. As we drove through the intersection in front of the store, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. An SUV was speeding toward us. I screamed, and Jason slammed on the brakes. Instead of the SUV hitting my door (and most likely killing me in the process), Jason's quick response led to us clipping the oncoming vehicle, causing it to spin and eventually flip.

Jason and I were both unharmed, though I don't think I have ever been so scared. The other driver was taken to the hospital. His vehicle was totaled, and ours was not drivable and had to be towed. I called my parents to pick us up at the scene of the accident. I was so thankful that Jason and I were both alive and unharmed, but still I was upset about the inconvenience. "Why, Lord?" I asked over and over again. "Why would you let this happen?" The day we went to pick up the truck from the repair shop, I received my answer.

Little did we know that the ball joints on the truck were practically non-existent. The repair man said he was amazed that the truck hadn't completely fallen apart by now. Without the accident, we wouldn't have needed the repairs. Without the repairs, we wouldn't have found out about a very serious problem. Without repairing that problem, we could have found ourselves in a situation much worse than a small accident that we both walked away from without a scratch.

The next time things seem to be going all wrong, take a minute to think. Could it be that God is delaying you on purpose? Could He be causing one problem to make you aware of another? Life is full of inconveniences, but I wonder how often those minor problems keep us from being in the midst of greater ones. In the midst of traffic jams, long lines, and snagged pantyhose, don't complain. Thank God that you are exactly where He wants you to be.