After wonderful vacation days, my horse, dog, and I were headed for home. Toward the end of the trip, which up until then had been smooth and uneventful, another vehicle suddenly bumped into the horse trailer, causing the trailer first to veer, then to skid. Both car and trailer skidded out of the lane, spinning around, and finally coming to a stop in the opposite direction next to the middle lane of a three-lane highway. I saw in front of me three rows of vehicles which all had come to a stop—a rear-end collision hadn’t occurred. My dog and I were not injured. However, the horse had managed to escape from the trailer (which had turned upside down), and now was galloping down the highway. But despite the circumstance I remained calm. Yes, I can honestly say that I felt safe and embraced because I knew that God was governing and God has all power. I knew that the following reassuring words were true: “Remember, thou canst be brought into no condition, be it ever so severe, where Love has not been before thee and where its tender lesson is not awaiting thee” (Mary Baker Eddy, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, pp. 149–150).
What happened next can hardly be described in words: I was witnessing how all necessary steps unfolded, in the needed and appropriate way. And without my doing anything! I didn’t need to ask anybody. I was being taken care of. The person with the right skills or knowledge showed up at the right time: securing the accident site, notifying the police, handling all formalities and paperwork. Someone was able to corner the horse (the horse wasn’t wearing a harness); it was unharmed. Someone else offered to transport the horse and host it overnight. Everything happened smoothly, effortlessly, and completely, without any gaps. Instead of chaos, a sense of active charity prevailed, which was noticed by many of the people who witnessed the incident. I was deeply touched by this experience, to be able to witness this proof of God’s omnipotence and omniaction.
Was it simply coincidence that all the steps unfolded so smoothly? Was it just “good luck”? I’m convinced that it wasn’t a matter of coincidence, the point being that in this experience all that had to happen was implemented at just the right time. Just one gap—and everything would have unraveled. What happened was unplanned, and the responses to the situation were not the result of a man-made plan.
