The return drive back to Oklahoma from my visit to Texas was a long one and the past hour had been stressful, with 18-wheelers hemming me in on every side. I breathed a sigh of relief that all of them seemed to have passed me up.

I knew something was wrong when I heard a little thump and felt an odd wobble in my car’s steering. I put on the turn signal and pulled to the side of the road, happy to see there was a wide shoulder out of the way of the traffic whizzing by. Sure enough, I had a flat on the right front tire.

This was scary and I was glad I had a cell phone. But who should I call? I looked around and saw a highway access road just across the ditch. There was a tire shop. I had a flat within walking distance of a tire shop!

I slogged through the ditch and went into the tire shop. They had been watching my progress and were eager to help. The owner sent someone to assess the tire and fetch my car.

The tire was ruined – it had a blown out hole on the side! Did I want one new tire, two, or a full set?

Since I had not any idea I had a bad tire before, now I suspected all my tires might be bad. I knew better than to buy just one tire, but thought I might get away with just the two on front. I wavered with the decision, as I had with everything since my husband’s passing a few months prior.

Newly widowed, I was relearning to go to God for everything – finances, protection, and guidance. Even love. Every decision had become a big challenge for me. Should I sell the rental property? Should I change jobs? Should I cut my hair? Since I had no family living nearby, I consulted my church about everything and my prayer life revitalized.

I called my new boyfriend in Texas to get his opinion. (And perhaps to stall for time so God could direct.) After some discussion, I decided to buy four new tires. The tire shop gave me a terrific deal – as good as any big discount place would have offered.

I mulled over this serendipitous incident for the rest of the drive home. What were the chances? A blowout is a dangerous thing and I’ve heard stories of people driving off the road when a tire blew. If I’d had such a blowout during the time I was hemmed in by tractor/trailer rigs, it could have been fatal. If the tire had blown half an hour before, I would have been parked in the middle of nowhere. If I hadn’t had a cell phone…if I hadn’t just visited my boyfriend…if I hadn’t had the money…if I hadn’t been praying about the trip to Texas…

If God had not intervened, I might have died. I might not have had the chance to marry that man in Texas. I think God is responsible for my serendipitous events, even in blowouts.

Serendipity: the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for. Also: an instance of this.