Jesus Took the Hit for Me

 

Sorry the image is a little large ofr the top of the page- but it is important for you to be able to see the details!

This is the rosary I made for our daughter, Debbie, for her Confirmation. She picked all the 'ingredients,' Momma put it together. The crucifix is called The Tree of Life, and- as she will learn when she reads this post- it is the one I wore around my neck at the time. That was the crucifix she wanted, and money was tight right then, so it was the logical solution.

A few years later, she got her driver's license on the Feast of the Assumption, and the rosary took its place on the rear-view mirror. (For the record, she does pray the rosary, it's not simply an accessory in her car.) True to the pattern for her older brother and sister- a pattern I am grateful has NOT continued- one month to the day after she got that license, she had her first accident.

A fender-bender? No. She missed a turn on a country road, slid on loose gravel a flew her Chrysler Concorde into a ditch nose first, bending the car in half. Oh. did I mention this was also on her dad's birthday?  We got to the scene and found Debbie- none the worse for the experience, save faint abrasions on her arms- evidence she had both hands on the wheel when the airbag blew. ( When her older sister had a fender-bender, triggering the airbags, she ended up with a fat lip and black eyes...in addition to the airbag marks on her arms)

The next day, she was gathering her belongings form the vehicle. The rosary that had been around the rearview mirror had ended up in the back seat. A few beads broke, one or two completely shattered- you can see them in the drop portion- or at least where they were. And the sterling silver crucifix twisted from the impact. ( Note- however, Mom's workmanship held up through the ordeal ;-) )

I offered to fix it up for her, good as new.

She declined. "Jesus took the hit for me."

As we enter this final week of Lent before Holy Week, make an extra effort to take up the sacrifices and prayers you committed to on Ash Wednesday. Enter Holy Week with a heart on fire for God, and whenever life seems to get too tough, when your sins seem insurmountable-remember:

Jesus took the hit for you.