Carrie Underwood's 2005 hit song seemed to be the only appropriate title for this blog post. You can judge for yourself...
In the early eighties, I purchased a 1967 Chevelle from my cousin, Edwin Earls. It had been sitting for a few years but it didn't take me long to get it "road ready." The engine was a 400 Chevy small block with a Rochester Quadrajet carburetor and a three-speed automatic transmission. I replaced the original coil springs, front and back, with heavy ones which "raised" the car. This was the "muscle car" style and I still prefer it. Somehow it just looks "tougher" compared to those wimpy lowered trucks and cars.
One afternoon, as I was driving out of West Plains on Highway 160 East, a little foreign car had the audacity to try to pass me. Right at Howell Avenue, when you start down the hill to the straight stretch out of town, he pulled out to go around me. Now... with a car that would run like a scalded dog and my natural male ego, this wasn't about to happen!
I let him get even with me and then I "put the pedal to the metal"! In approximately 2.4 seconds, he was nothing but a speck in my rear view mirror! I cruised past the KWPM radio station and by the time I topped "Radio City Hill" I was doing well over 100 MPH...
It will take about one hundred words to write and about forty seconds for you to read what happened next.
But in real time it took about three seconds...
When I topped out on Radio City Hill and could see the other smaller hill about 800 feet away, a car was pulling out of the crossroad between the two hills INTO MY LANE!! I immediately slammed down on the brake and locked the wheels... I didn't even slow down. I just started skidding at 100 MPH! When I saw that I wasn't going to stop, I let off of the brake, stomped on the gas and swung into the left lane to pass. Somehow, I passed the car and was back in my lane before I hit the top of the smaller hill!
I slowed down to a reasonable speed and continued on to the Homeplace. When I pulled into our driveway, I was shaking so badly I had to sit for a few minutes before I could pull up the lane to the house. While I sat there, I solemnly promised the Lord that that would never happen again. And by His grace, I have kept that promise... and kept my speeds below 100 MPH!!
I am a firm believer in God's mercy and I know his angels were looking out for a seriously stupid teenage boy. The "what if's" were all too clear.
If there is any truth to Carrie Underwood's song, I certainly experienced it that day when for all intents and purposes, "Jesus Took The Wheel"!!
If you want to get a feel for how much time I had to pass, ride along with me HERE
