Praying for your Car?

Once years ago a raccoon showed up in the middle of the road.

I couldn't stop in time so I misapplied some advice my driver instructor once gave me: when encountering an obstacle like a pothole on the road, drive so that it passes underneath your car seat. That way, you won't run over it with your wheels.

Raccoons are definitely not potholes. I heard some rolling noise from under the car. It was awful. I felt very guilty.

For me this was an example of trying to do something other than praying first- which in previous experiences had served me quite well. Like the time I was driving too fast in the snow and my car started to fish tail. In that instance, with a passenger in the car, and another vehicle on-coming, I just reached out to God as Mind: acknowledging that He was in control.

With humility I sincerely put my trust in the divine to protect everyone involved. It had the effect of immediately arresting the fear and panic that would tend to immobilize.

Then I can only say that I steered like I've never done before, like a pro stunt driver, really: missing a row of mail box posts by an inch (I know because we looked at the tire ruts in the snow after the fact), missing the oncoming car, and gradually landing softly into a ditch- in fact downright gently...it was almost comical!

My passenger, when I told him I had felt completely helpless and so had reached out to God and at that point my arms just knew what to do- gratefully agreed that we'd witnessed something of an amazing save!

So back to my incident involving the raccoon: I had the thought to pray that never again could our car hurt anyone or anything.

From time to time over the years I continue to remind myself to pray this way, and it's worked. I knew that cars represent transportation and movement, and that is a useful and good thing, and that one good idea can't hurt another good idea.

So this brings us to today: I was driving extra fast as I was attempting to clear a cyclist that was at my right hand side. A little squirrel zoomed out in front of the car. I affirmed aloud (or maybe it was just in my thought, but quite forcefully): "this car will not kill any creature."

I said it and felt it with conviction, knowing that when we turn to God for protection, help is at hand. I felt a spiritual clarity knowing that God gives man dominion over the foibles of human mortal experience. That squirrel was going to be just fine! I applied the brake based on a sense of intuition, slowing down but not stopping (traffic was approaching from behind).

I glanced back to be sure, and saw in my rear-view mirror he had made it, in true high-tail fashion, scrambling into a bush at the side of the street.

"The divine Mind maintains all identities, from a blade of grass to a star, as distinct and eternal." 

pg 70, Science & Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy

Photo credit: Tony Fischer, Urban living for Sadie the Squirrel