By Zhi’en

I habitually rise early in the morning, open the Bible and read what the Lord Jesus said in Matthew 16:26: “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” When carefully pondering the Lord’s words, I feel they are extremely precious. Though we all know the preciousness of life, in this society where money talks, who is able to not sell their lives for money? And who can listen to the Lord’s words? There are too many people who want to make money regardless of how it affects their lives. If I hadn’t personally experienced a dangerous and terrifying situation, I would also probably not know the preciousness of life. Let me tell you my recollection of a hair raising incident that happened to me.

In 2006, I was 19 and was in the bloom of youth. It was a good time to prepare for the future. I loved art, not simply because it was my hobby but because I also dreamed to win overnight fame one day so that I wouldn’t be worried about making a living in the future. So I applied to study at arts college. That year, enrolment at arts colleges was at a record high, and so the competition was particularly fierce. In order to increase the probability of being accepted, everyone tried to apply to take exams at several art colleges. During that period, in several big cities candidates with portfolios in bags on their shoulders and toolboxes in their hands could be seen everywhere. I was the same as them. I finished an exam in City A and had to go to City B to sign up the next day.

However, when I woke up on the next morning, I found my town shrouded by heavy fog outside, and in some places the visibility wasn’t even 50 meters. I thought: “It will be impossible to go today. The fog is so heavy; buses probably can’t run and the expressway must be closed.” Surprisingly, after enquiring, I was told that the buses were running as usual. I felt surprised as well as worried: Under normal circumstances buses would stop running on days of heavy fog. Could it be that there were so many candidates that they were running for our sake? I didn’t have time to think about it and got on the bus to City B with two of my classmates. Little did I know that a disaster was gradually unfolding.

Along the way, my two classmates fell asleep because of car sickness, but I had no mind to rest because I felt an unexplainable uneasiness. On the expressway, the bus was going very fast and the vehicle ahead was near to us but still couldn’t be seen clearly. I was very nervous, worrying that something might happen. I couldn’t sit quietly anymore, so I stood bending forward and held the front seat so that the driver could still see the traffic. And I couldn’t help but pray silently to the Lord and ask Him to keep us safe.

Suddenly, the driver quickly turned the wheel, and the strong inertial force threw me out of the seat and almost turned over the bus. My head reeled. … After the bus had stopped, there was a dead silence in it; everyone was probably frightened by this unexpected situation. I had thought it was just a minor accident and that we would go on soon. Little did I think that the driver had no intention of continuing. At that time, a passenger who had something urgent to do asked: “Hey, sir, when will we start moving?” Surprisingly, the driver roared at him: “Why don’t you see for yourself whether we can go on?” That’s when I noticed that the driver’s hand, that was holding a cigarette, was shaking and that fear was showing on his face.

After we carefully got out of the bus, we came to realize how serious that traffic accident was. As I looked into the distance, a whole section of the expressway was a mess: Big and small vehicles were lying at sixes and sevens and some were even piled up together. What a scene of devastation! Someone shouted loudly: “Don’t smoke!” because gasoline and shards of glass were scattered over the road. Some drivers were pressing their bleeding heads with handkerchiefs, waiting for rescue. Some people who had injured legs were crawling on the ground. And worse still, on the left in front of our bus, a car had been completely mangled on impact. It looked like an old heap of iron. There were four people in the car; one of them was a student about my age, who was pinned in the car. I personally watched her gradually lose her life. … One of my classmates cried with fright when seeing the scene but I was quite calm and reminded them: “Say nothing to your family yet in case they worry about you.” Then I saw the bus we had been on was less than a fist from the side of the front truck. If the driver hadn’t quickly turned the wheel, the consequences would have been unimaginable—at least it would have been impossible for us to be completely unharmed. Seeing the devastation, I felt particularly moved. I knew it was the Lord rescuing and protecting us, so I thanked Him silently in my heart. The Bible says, “A thousand shall fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you” (Psalms 91:7). I was grateful to the Lord for helping us avoid the disaster.

Because the expressway was closed, we had to leave the expressway and go through the village to take a bus in the suburbs. While I was waiting for the bus, my two classmates went to buy water to drink. But when the bus was coming, they still hadn’t come back. I shouted to them anxiously and asked them to hurry up, but we missed the bus. I felt annoyed with them, but just then the next bus came and we immediately got on. After some time, when the bus was about to reach a crossroads, I saw from a distance that a bus had stopped there even though the traffic light was green. After we approached it, I saw there was nobody in it and that its front section had been seriously damaged, and when I saw the license plate number, I realized it was the bus I had missed. Suddenly, I felt a little afraid and yet also so fortunate. I felt the Lord’s wonderful orchestration again. If my classmates hadn’t been delayed and if I had got on the bus … I couldn’t dare to think more and just kept giving thanks to the Lord.

Despite being alarmed, I couldn’t help sighing: I was so lucky to have avoided two traffic accidents in a day. Had it not been for God’s care and protection I couldn’t have been so lucky as to avoid them.

Experiencing this accident, I had a deeper understanding of faith in God. In the past, I always heard the brothers and sisters in the Lord say that the food and drink and other things we enjoyed were the Lord’s blessings. But on that day I came to know that everything God does is very valuable and meaningful to us and that the most important thing God does to us is to ensure our safety.

Recalling this event, I couldn’t help but sigh: “O Lord, thank You. It is Your care and protection that helps us live in peace and safety. You are always by our side and never depart from us, and You regard our lives as being so precious. I will cherish my life even more, believe in and worship You properly, and pursue to gain the truth.” It was the Lord’s great love that saved me in time. That horrible experience has had a great effect on me; it changed my direction in life, and allowed me truly feel the preciousness of life.