I learned Psalm 46:1..45 years ago today.

It was a Friday evening, June 13, and I had a first date with Troy, a boy my parents had not yet met. Mom was cleaning the church, and Dad was still at work at the gas station at 6th and Main. Troy came to pick me up on his motorcycle and we were going to go to eat at Lim’s and then go to a baseball game. Of course, I wasn’t expecting him to arrive on a motorcycle, so I changed from shorts into jeans, and while he waited for me, he picked up Mom and Dad’s Bible that sat on the coffee table and began reading. Before we left the house, he read Psalms 46 and invited me to pray with him. I was 15-year-old mesmerized with this bold, good-looking guy who felt no shame about his faith. We went outside and hopped on his bike, and because I had never ridden on a motorcycle, Troy took me on the back roads of west Hutchinson until I was comfortable with the turns and holding onto his waist, but mostly his shirt, because…first date.

These were the days before mandated helmets, but Troy was careful to not go too fast, and we headed east on 4th street, making our way into town. One block before Main Street, he put his turn signal on to go from the left lane to the right lane, so we could go through the intersection and not be stuck behind the left-turning cars. However, the sun was setting, and the woman who entered the same intersection from the opposite direction didn’t see us in the glare.

I heard Troy yell, “Hang on, we’re gonna crash!”

We did, and hanging on wasn’t possible.

I ended up on the southeast corner sidewalk of 4th & Main, and when I woke up, I saw my dad leaning over me, along with a crowd, and Troy. Dad’s gas station was two blocks away, and it hadn’t taken him long to arrive. My left leg was broken in several places and I had a concussion and fluid coming out of my right ear. Dad rode with me in the ambulance to the local hospital, and later that night, he and Mom followed the transport ambulance to Wichita where they met my sister in the ER.

Our lives were changed in an instant.

We didn’t know that the next two years would include ten surgeries, lots of doctor appointments, an insurance settlement, the loss of most of my hearing in my right ear, and all mixed in with regular teenage drama. He was with me for every surgery. He loved me when I was unlovable. He prayed for me and held me when I was scared. Dad was by my side through it all.

***

Today, I showed Dad the calendar and asked him if he knew the significance of today. And then I lifted my pant leg.

“Ohhhhhh, yeah,” he remembered. We had something new to talk about, more memories that connect and strengthen our bond.

45 years ago today, the Lord was my refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. I really like the way The Message puts it, though. “God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need him.”

My dad is a living example of Abba, God the father.

I am so grateful that 45 years later, I can still walk on this permanently scarred leg.

I am so grateful that 45 years later, I can now help Dad walk and return the favor.

I am so grateful that 45 years later, I still know and claim Psalm 46:1.

I am so grateful that 45 years later, I can still say that I am grateful for “the accident.” It changed my life forever.

And I am so grateful that 45 years later, I am privileged to spend time with my Dad.