What I learned from being run over 

A few years ago, and by a few years ago I really mean along time ago, but not in galaxy far far away.
Let me start again. I attended the Baptist Theological college of Southern Africa (BTC) between 1994 and 1997, but I’m okay now! Seriously I studied at this esteemed place of spiritual learning in Randburg, South Africa. It’s a great place. The course is great, the lecturers were amazing and I learnt some really great and sometimes tough lifelong lessons there.
All in all; I would say I am a better person and closer to God for having studied at BTC.  
Today I was taking a walk, listening to some music and thinking about old times, when I remembered an event that took place while at BTC that has taught me many lessons about life. I thought I would share it.

It was warm sunny Randburg morning, so not like Wales in January at all!  Our class happened to have a few free lectures. I believe it was because a lecturer was sick or something like that. The fact is we had the time to ourselves. Most of my classmates decided to do the mature thing and “hit the books.” Assignment deadlines were looming and it made good sense to use the time productively. But that’s not what I did. My friend, Ed and I decided to head over to a mall that was close, to have some coffee and a chat.
The mall is about a 7min walk from BTC. So took the walk. We were enjoying the nice day and the chat as we approached a wide and busy road. As we approached, I looked to my left and didn’t bother to look to my right because in a bizarre moment of real stupidity and ditziness I decided that this road, a road I had cross numerous times before, was a One Way road! I did not therefore expect a black Golf GTI with a driver who was wearing groovy Rayband Sunglasses to be coming at me from the right. So, looking left I looked and saw there was a gap to run across, so I stepped into the road . . .

All I can say is that in that moment time slowed down, like it does in the movie, The Matrix, the only problem was that I did not have the skill of Keanu Reeves to avoid my inevitable fate. In the 1 or 2 seconds that followed, I took in all the information I needed to know. I heard the hooting. I noticed the colour and make of the car. I even had a quick envious thought about the car. I noticed that the driver was male with short dark hair, that he was well dressed and was wearing really trendy sunglasses. I also processed the consequences of my actions and remember thinking,
"This is how it ends . . ."   All in 1 or 2 seconds tops!

The next thing I remember was hitting the floor, my head bashing into the curb and my friend Ed shouting something like, “Phil! Phil!! Are you okay?!” I bounced up onto my feet in a state of shock and remember having a short conversation with the driver in which I apologized profusely for my act of random stupidity.  

The fact is I came off easy. The car thankfully had just pulled away for the traffic lights and so it wasn’t traveling fast yet (it was a Golf GTI, those drivers never stick to speed limits.) I didn’t damage the car and apart from having a huge bruise on my hip and very large headache, I was okay to drive home and see my doctor.

As I thought about that today it became clear to me that I learned some big lessons from that incident:

1. Always look left and right and left again. Never assume anything! This is something I have put into practice and sometimes I feel like an old man crossing roads.
It really helps in real life though. Never assume anything and it never hurts to have another look or take some more time to think about a big decision.

2. Make sure that you are where you should be in the first place. We should have been at the college working. That’s the harsh reality of it. Even though we would have had a very good and productive chat in terms of our friendship, our place was in the college library (sorry Ed). Life is about making sure you are in the right place. The place God wants you be in. And it's not always geographical. A place can be your relationship with God, or people or things. Be in the right place.

3. Our minds are amazing things. If I could process all that information in such a short moment, imagine how much more I could do if I “put my mind to it.” So often we limit and restrict ourselves but God has made us capable for amazing things. How we use that capability is what counts.

4. Good friends are important. They laugh with you and at you; but at the end they are the ones who help you up when you fall; and make sure you get to where you need to be. 

                    - Phil Hibbert