Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.—Proverbs 19:21 (NIV)

Several unexpected appointments had derailed my to-do list, and I was trying not to be crabby as I waited at the stoplight. That’s when I heard the unmistakable sound of skidding tires and crushed steel. I looked up at the intersection a split second after the accident happened and saw an elderly woman step out of her car, clutching her chest. 

I immediately jumped out of my vehicle to see if she needed help. She told me her chest hurt, so I grabbed my cell phone and dialed 911. I kept asking her if she was OK, and she looked up at me with wide eyes and said, “Can I just hug you?” 

Without an ounce of hesitation, I wrapped my arms around her and held her tight. She clung to me in that busy intersection, as people drove around us, and I could feel her start to calm. Eventually, her chest pain went away, and we were able to talk to the other driver, who was unharmed. I waited with her for the police to arrive and helped her untangle her thoughts as she told her side of the story. Eventually, I wasn’t needed, and I drove off toward home. 

As the situation began to settle in my heart, I became aware of the series of events that led me to that moment. Nothing had gone as I had hoped that day. If my plans had succeeded, I would have missed a Divine Appointment, one that turned out to be more important than anything else I had planned.