Denting Your Neighbor's Car: A Terrible Mistake or Oppurtunity to Make New Friends?

Just a few days ago, Taylor (my husband, not my friend, Taylor Williams ) and I got into our car to meet a friend for a late-night dinner, when all the sudden our plans came to a dull "thud." The "thud" in this case was our car backing into the rear driver's side door of a Nissan Altima. Now, I don't have pictures of the damage we did, but let's say it's between this and this. After we inspected the damage, we then debated what to do. I never thought it would happen, but a little devil and little angel actually appeared on my shoulders. That was surprising enough, but even more so when I realized that the angel on my left and the devil was on my right. For some reason I always thought it'd be the other way around. The angel started first.

"You should leave a note! That would be the right thing to do," Left Shoulder Angel said.

"Nah, just walk away! No one will ever know!" Right Shoulder Devil Said.

She then looked at the car and said, "Well, I guess the car owner would know, since that dent is the size of a crater, but he/she/it (Little Devils are very Politically Correct, you know) won't have to know that it was you!"

That's when I said "Get thee behind me, Devil!" Political Correctness is always a sign of evil. Taylor and I went into our apartment building and knocked on all the doors without luck. Finally, on Apartment #3 we got a reply.

"What the @#$% do you want?" Said Apt. #3

Taylor and I fearfully looked at each other, praying that we hadn't smashed Apt. #3's car.

Taylor stood there like a man, holding me as I tried to escape down the stairway and said, "Excuse me, do you own a Nissan Altima."

Pause.

"No sir," Apt. #3 said, "I don't."

Relief.

"Great-thanks-have-a-good-night!" Taylor said as we ran down the stairs.

Since our fellow tenants obviously were not the car's owner, we were stuck writing a detailed note (We are so sorry! Call us and we'll pay [please don't sue us!]) and left it under the windshield wiper.

Then we waited. And waited. Until, finally, we got a call. It turns out the car belongs to a friend of a guy who lives in the building next to ours. The guy was actually pretty understanding, and surprised that we left a note instead of just walking away. In fact, all of our Quincy friends we told our story to were surprised. My boss, for example, was shocked that we would do such a thing, and then abruptly ascribed it to our "Christian ways, I guess."

We're still waiting to hear about the total estimate for the car. However, even now, I feel like we learned a life lesson deeper than look behind you when you back out.

Our money is not our own. I know I personally look at money as security, but it can be gone in an instant. I have to be constantly reminded that God is the only security I have for this life and the next, and that He is the great provider, not my paycheck. As they say, "the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away." I'm not saying God caused us to have an accident, but that He used this incident as a reminder of whom we depend.

I also know that God can take any situation and turn it into something good. And while denting their car wasn't what I see as the most ideal way to meet my neighbors, it did get me out of my building. God only knows, but this could be the start of a beautiful friendship.

Or just a lesson that money is a tool.

Either way, I know that I will grow from this as a Christian, which is really the most important thing of all.