What I learned when my van sank

I’d had a great surf, others had parked their cars on the beach so when I was ready to go I thought nothing of driving onto the beach to turn around to head back down the single track lane. The trouble was that I was driving a heavy wheelchair vehicle that is very low to the ground. I hadn’t got far onto the beach when the front of the van got buried in sand and the wheels started to spin. It’s a horrible (sinking!) feeling, I didn’t rev for long as I knew that would only make things worse. I got out, and used some planks of wood that we use for getting the wheelchair over awkward doorways to try and dig the van out. I dug the sand away and thought I could use the planks of wood to drive on. I didn’t get very far.

I’d love to say that I prayed to our Father in Heaven and didn’t panic at all because I knew that He loved me and was in control of all things. But as the tide was coming in I had visions of getting stuck, and then thought of my family being stuck in the apartment someone had kindly given us for the week. My son cannot get in any other vehicle. What a mess I’d got myself into!

Thankfully there were some other surfers on the beach. One of them had a 4×4, he seemed like a good person to ask. He was happy to help, but sadly we have no tow hook on the back as it’s been adapted to have a wheelchair ramp. Nevermind, there’s a place to screw in an eye at the front, but could I find the towing eye – no! I felt even more stupid! Well, a couple of others helped to dig me out and push, and we managed to get the van moving, but only closer to the sea! Whenever I turned to head back up the beach, I got stuck again. I had visions of the tide filling the van. More people came to try and help push, but still we couldn’t get out. Eventually someone suggested I open the bonnet to see if we could find anything to clip the tow rope around. Praise God, once I opened the bonnet there was the towing eye! What a relief, we got that screwed in and I was towed to safety (and if you happen to be reading this and you’re someone who helped, thank you very much, I am so grateful for your help).

What did I learn from this?

Well, apart from don’t drive on the beach unless you are sure that it’s hard sand (and make sure you know where your towing eye is)…here’s a few other things:

1. How awful hell will be

That might sound like a strange lesson, but I was struck by how awful it felt being totally stuck and not able to rescue yourself. Imagine if there had been no one willing or able to help. In hell you will be unable to save yourself and there will be no one to help. How awful it will be to be totally stuck forever and all alone. No one to help, how frightening and for this to go on forever and ever. How our hearts should break for those facing this. As I considered this on my drive home, I was challenged to be more concerned for the lost, more eager to share the life giving message of Jesus.

2. You cannot save yourself

I could rev the engine as hard as I liked and it only made things worse. I could try and dig the van out but I just got stuck again. The only way out was to ask for help, help that was undeserved and freely given. We are totally stuck in our rebellion against God, we cannot save ourselves. We should love God and our neighbour perfectly all the time so we can’t make up for the times we don’t by just trying a bit harder. We can try really hard but like revving the engine in the sand, it won’t get us anywhere. Tragically we often don’t realise that we are in terrible danger. We need a rescue that is undeserved. Jesus Christ offers that rescue. He is the only one that loved God and neighbour perfectly, and He offers to take your rebellion on himself, to pay for all your failings at the cross, to die for you, so that you can be pulled out of your desperate situation. Only when he has rescued you and set you on solid ground can you start to live a life that is pleasing to Him. Once my tyres were on solid ground, my engine worked to drive them as it should. Once Jesus Christ has rescued you, you can start to live the life He intended you to.

3. The providence of God

There just happened to be others on the beach, there just happened to be a man with a 4×4, another man with a shovel, another man with tow rope, someone else to suggest opening the bonnet. God is good, and I am often foolish enough to forget that. How much quicker I should be to turn straight to God in prayer and trust that He has this. It wasn’t wrong to ask the people He had provided for help, but I honestly can’t remember if I asked God first.

4. Longing for heaven

Sometimes the Lord brings storms into our lives to make us long for the eternal safety of the harbour of heaven. Sometimes we need to be shaken because we have become to focussed on earthly things, He knows we will only be satisfied in Him. How good it will be when we are finally free from sin and with the Lord forever, when doubt is no more and we will never neglect turning to the Lord, for we will be with Him and see Him as He is. How good it will be when we never get into any kind of trouble, when fear and anxiety are no more.

Waiting

While we wait for that day, it is so good to have a heavenly Father who loves and cares for you. If you don’t yet know Him, I urge you to turn to Him while there is still time. It was humbling for me to have to go up to a stranger and ask for help, but I’m glad I did or else my van would now be submerged. It is humbling to go to almighty God and admit you need help, but He is only too willing to forgive. It might be hard to admit it, but it is far better to turn to Him now while you have opportunity rather than leaving it until it is too late, and you face being stuck forever with no one to help you.