My wife loves to run. You heard it right. She loves to run. I don’t mean a mile or two every year. Not a few a month. I mean running 6+ miles two to three times a week. I know that some of you don’t think of this as extreme and do equal to or more in your daily/weekly exercise program. I am writing this in my jlog because I am so proud of her and secretly wishing that I could run with her. Unfortunately several years ago I decided to train for a marathon at the age of 50 and my knees said “NO” when I reached the 6+ miles and have since turned to bicycle riding.

Well a about 3 weeks ago she decided to go out in our neighborhood and do her usual run. She runs on the sidewalk which is much safer than running on the road where a car could pass her by and clip her. About a block from our house, she came upon an intersection where an SUV had stopped before entering a two way street. Nadine slowed down and waved to the woman who was stopped waiting to enter the intersection and she proceeded to run with caution in front of the car. About the time she got in front of the SUV, the woman driving the BMW took off and hit my wife. It caused Nadine to loose her balance, hitting her head on the front of the car. The woman didn’t stop and as the car continued to move, it pushed her to the ground, hitting her head again and causing her to black out.

Fortunately, the woman stopped before running over her. Once Nadine came to, 6 people were standing over her and very concerned about her, and one had called 911 to secure an ambulance to take her to the emergency hospital. She did have a concussion, road rash on her shoulder and hip, two golf ball size bumps on her head, headache that lasted for 3 weeks, and lots of bodily pain as the shock wore off.

That is what happened to Nadine. But what about my side of the story. My side is not about the accident. It is what it is. I was in session with a client and got a call from the front desk. The message said, “Your wife was running and got hit by a car and is in the emergency room at Honor Health Osborn.” Think about what you would think if you got this message regarding someone significant in your life. My mind raced as I sped down the 101 (I might add over the speed limit) to get to my wife as quickly as possible. Was she going to live? How many broken bones did she have? How long would she be in the hospital? What would the long lasting effects of this accident? All of these questions were erased when I arrived to find my wife with the above descriptions of what really happened.

What would you do if you heard that something happened to a person you loved? Maybe you have been in that situation. It’s a shock to your system. The most important things in life come center stage. Nothing is more important than getting to your sweetheart and being by her side. All else in life pails in significant to that relationship. Stuff is of no consequence. Fame has no power when the relationship is threatened. No amount of money can calm the fears as you drive toward the hospital. It’s the relationship that is most important.

Jesus was asked what is the greatest command of the 631 commandments in the Old Testament. He responded by saying that cultivating relationships were the most important. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might, and love your neighbor as your love yourself.” (Matthew 22:37) Relationships. Relationship with God. Relationship with your neighbor (wife, child, husband, friend, relative, father, mother, coworker). When crisis situations arise, it surfaces for us the things that are most important in life.

On this journey, there are situations that happen (getting hit by a car) that causes us to reposition our minds to the things that are most important in life. Don’t miss the message.