The other side of the coin... Destiny?
Hey everybody. I started a new job. I am working full time in Graphic Design. It may be a temporary position, or it may be more long-term. Only time will tell. I have been working very hard and really enjoying myself. After going to that Mac Design Conference, it is so cool to work with this stuff all day every day. Anyway, now it is my lunchbreak and I am going to write on here for a little bit.
I have been thinking a lot recently about fate. I guess that for this little thought I am going to share, It doesn't matter whether you believe in fate, predestination, total free will, or anything else... The main point is the same regardless of what you believe.
After Ian got in his car crash, a lot of people gave him a rough time and lectured him about being more careful about listening to the voice of God. They said that God was telling Ian (and everyone else involved) not to carry out the whole camping plan. They said that all of the different things that almost stopped Ian from going or almost changed his path were all God's ways of trying to get Ian to do something else so that he wouldn't get in the crash. Lots of people seemed to think that the accident was the terrible end result that God was trying to help Ian avoid, but since Ian didn't heed the warnings, he crashed, and hence he failed. I don't necessarily see it that way.
In my opinion, the whole accident was not that bad... considering what could have happened. Nobody got killed or even really hurt (a head on collision usually does not end that way). The only negative result was that 2 cars got crunched up. Cars are just stuff. They can be replaced (besides, one was mine, and MY insurance is paying for the other one, so I am the one who would be upset if the situation warranted that). The whole thing could have been much worse. Ian could have run over the girl and killed her... they both could have broken their necks... the cars could have caught on fire... and that is all stuff that could have made the accident itself worse. Maybe the accident was God's way of stopping Ian and Guapo from going to the pine barrens as planned and then getting murdered upon arrival, or getting in a worse accident along the way (I am not trying to be morbid, but there are lots and lots of worse things that could have happened that night).
So my point is this... Rather than be upset about what did happen, why not look on the bright side? It could have been much worse. Maybe God was protecting Ian and Guapo from someting truely bad.
You really can't play the "What if" game with something like this. What if Ian had gone to a different store for Raman Noodles?... What if he had Gone to Guapo's before the store?... None of this would have happened right? Maybe... or maybe not. Nobody will ever know. If even the smallest detail about the night had been changed before the accident, things would have been WAY different. They could have been much better or much worse.
The movie The Butterfly Effect is all about somebody who travels back in time and tries to correct errors in the past so that his and his friends' lives turn out better in the future (the movie is based on chaos theory). He does not forsee the effect that his actions will have. Literally the wording of a single sentence or the choice one makes in a fraction of a second can effect the rest of their life and the lives of those around them. The movie did a fantastic job of portraying how the littlest decisions have hugely unforseeable consequences. It is really interesting and very well done. I reccomend it to anyone who can stomach it, but let me just warn everyone that it is ROUGH (there is a lot of strong violence, language, sex, nudity, abuse, etc... I know it sounds terrible, but it makes up for those things if you can look past them).
Ian told me that he felt almost as though something terrible was bound to happen that night. He narrowly escaped a much worse accident, he almost picked up a kid walking onthe side of the road but then didn't when he had a vision of that kid shooting him in the face. Maybe something was bound to happen... maybe God was trying to protect Ian from the accident and Ian didn't listen... or maybe the accident really was not all that bad when compared to what could have happened. We will never know. What I do know that my brother is alive and unhurt, so I am happy. I'll take that and be thankful.
16 Comments:
Sorry that post was so long everyone. I didn't realize it until I published it. If you read the whole thing...Thanks.
Absolutally, Collin! There are many ways to look at the situation, and many ways God could have used it to teach Ian something, protect him from something, change his life forever... But yes, we simply don't know exactly what, because God is myterious... and wonderful! There is no need for "what if's."
I would like to say that you are an amazing person, Collin. I truely don't think anyone else i know, including myself unfortunately, counld have handled the situation any more selflessly. I was so blessed! And I'm sure you know Ian was!!
You made God smile, I know it!
And praise GOD for keeping Ian safe!
~Laura
I read it all collin! I agree with you. ~Shane
no big word, snake man read long time.
collin smart in him head. snake man think him know too much for good. but snake man nod head yes to collin think tank. ian still walk and make good for brown woodbox string player. no worry on car, it now happy in bright light car lot with Great Model T. collin pockets large with presidents if him want for new car.
ooh, bad, no shoot ian in him face... only give noogie. no pick up kid. good boy. play string woodbox.
snake man weird kid.
Hey Snake Man,
It's good to hear from you again! I just wanted to say, you and MyNym have a very similar writing style. Poetic and Inspiring!
Haha, thanks. Keep up the good work with your "stringed brown woodbox."
Laura, You are really nice. Thanks for all of the kindness in your latest comment.
Snake man... I've missed you. That was one heck of a comment.
It is interesting to think about fate/ the future - but I don't know...I mean I never think about my present actions or one solitary decision I make as having the ability to change the course of my life - especially not something as trivial as where I buy my raman noodles. :) Even so, it's true and it's almost scary to think about. Collin, in reading your post and thinking about what you wrote, I'm realizing how much I take God's faithfulness for granted. We are all in God's hands and when you think about it, that is pretty darn comforting because we are His children (it won't be so comforting for those who aren't...). Whatever comes our way in life, God knows about it and will bring us through it in whatever way that will bring Him glory - which is supposed to be the chief end of man anyway: to glorify God. So, seize the day - go camping, use what you've learned in life so far, and, in so doing, learn more. It's neat to think that whatever we encounter, we will never have to face it by ourselves and we don't have to rely on our feeble selves alone to ensure a good future...which is something I need to remember to be thankful for.
Thank God you guys are alright (and David and Katie, too)! Rock on :D
-Rachel
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guapo ~ fate-> (scratches head and think that fate rhymes with cake.... ummmmmmm caaaaakkkkke.) I’m late to something yet I am not leaving. This could POSSIBLY profoundly affect my life. However, probably not so i'll go play a video game...... (Yeah that's all, i kinda got too impatient as i wrote this post to finish all i was going to say, but mind you, it was very hilarious. so go ahead laugh, chuckle, snicker, or giggle if you like.... )
Good points.
More than anything, I have full confidence that if God WAS trying to tell Ian something and IF Ian HAD ignored Him, the HS would be convicting Ian- overtime!
I have a purty good confidence in Ian's ability to listen to the HS... and learn!
And as you said, I'm just glad that Ian- and perhaps even more importantly, the girl he Hit Upon- were ok. Something to be very grateful for. Read Job and forget about the Whatifs!
~ jd
Ha, I still can't believe I wrote that. I'm not sniffing the good stuff guys, honest. It could have been from chugging Wawa chocolate milk. I do that frequently.
Ok JD, thanks for the nice stuff we said, but there's something we need to get straight. I did hit that girl, but I never Hit upon her. I wasn't like "Hey baby can I crash your car" or, "Hey I lost my sanity, can I have yours" It was an accident dude, not a hot new way to pick up chicks. Let me tell you, a nice big car crash doesn't put a girl in a good mood.
All I know is that you should reconsider your flirting approach... Little less work for the hospital staff and all that.
you better hope that I don't want to flirt with you.
"It doesn't matter whether you believe in fate, predestination, total free will, or anything else..."
"You really can't play the "What if" game with something like this."
Well, what if you could if you believe in free will? What if every car accident is not divinely ordained and so a sign from God but an aspect of living in a world where people are not perfect or in which spiritual forces of good and evil can be manifest?
It matters what you believe and this will dictate your interpretation of events, etc. E.g. if you were an atheist and saw the greatest sort of sign and wonder, say that Jesus Himself came and spoke to you at a certain place, the next day you could get up and think to yourself, "Sheesh, what did I eat yesterday that caused me to have such hallucinations yesterday?" E.g. if you were a theist with deistic tendencies who did not believe in seeing any signs now you might pass off or interpret out of existence the signs or visions you were meant to see or have. (Theist with deistic tendencies....all purely hypothetical. ;-) )
What was that movie with Jim Carey in which he's driving asking God for a sign, "Just show me a sign!" and there's a truck in front of him with all the road signs of danger, stop, etc. ;-) There are some signs you will not see if you do not want to see.
There are none so blind as those who will not see.
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