God With Us: There He Goes Again

 

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” 

~ Isaiah 41:10 ~

No matter how busy we get or how much we see, God continues to be central to it all. He is the peace that surpasses all understanding, the light in the darkness, and the ever-present help in trouble. A few weeks ago, we were continuing to make our way up the East coast, this time from Virginia Beach to just south of Alexandria outside of Washington, D.C. I was so fixed on avoiding the low-clearance height of the northbound Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel and creating a safe route through Norfolk to the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge Tunnel that I neglected to research the rest of the route. As we neared our exit en route to Pohick Bay Regional Park on the Potomac, we noticed a bright yellow low clearance bridge sign. I was in disbelief, and I’m not quick on my feet, so I thought for sure it would be okay - the sign must be pointing out something down the road that we’d soon turn off of. There was no warning from the campground when I made the reservation and this was a route even the trucking app I use would have routed us through. Before we knew it, we had exited and were suddenly face-to-face with a 13’4” bridge overpass with no way to escape. Justin pulled to the far right lane while I threw on the flashers, and he told me to let all the air out of the truck’s airbags (in a less-than-calm way). As we held our breath and creeped under the bridge, fully expecting our first scrape to the A/C units, I had a strange sense of peace that everything was going to be alright, regardless. By the hairs of our chin, we made it through, unscathed. There had to be maybe a millimeter of clearance at best. 

We had always suspected that we run at a height of around 13’6”, but never took the time to actually measure. I believe the manufacture height on our rig is 13’3” or so, plus our truck is lifted and has added airbag suspension. When we got to the campground, Justin did the measuring which came out just as we thought: 13’6” when attached to the truck. Either we achieved 13’4” slammed (with the airbags let out), or the Good Lord reached down and lifted that doggone bridge right up for us. It was also an incredible reminder that He was with us the day that Justin chose to install the app-controlled, automatic air compressor along with the air bags, so we could adjust the psi on the go. We would have been in serious trouble if it wasn’t so easy to adjust. I think it was also a necessary lesson for us to go through, so we would be much more confident during the rest of our time in the North East; since then, we have come across a great number of bridges and overpasses measuring less than 14’ - everything from 13’11” on down to 13’7” on roads we’ve driven, most of the time at highway speeds. Between that and the various load limits on bridges and smaller streets, plus restrictions on parkways, a vast number of toll roads, and playing limbo with low-hanging power lines, we’re about ready to head back West and give our blood pressure some relief. 

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Soon after we arrived at the campground, I noticed the RV parked next to us had a Buzz and Woody doll hanging from the fender (as though from the movie scene where they were climbing into the moving van). What a coincidence; out of all the movies we own, we had just watched Toy Story the night before. Then I noticed their Fulltime Families logo on the back and realized I knew who this was!! Our friends Courtney and Brian that we had met nine months earlier in Montana!! And what’s more, the other couple in the site across the street was another we had met outside of Glacier National Park. GUYS!!! Do I need to go over the chances!? Out of all the RV parks in the area to choose from. Out of all the 100+ sites in the campground. Out of all the days in the year. We just “happened” to end up RIGHT NEXT TO people we know. Again. Our God is not only a God of miracles; He is a God of character, and wonderful personality. He is a joy to know!!!

And as if all of that wasn’t enough, I have to add that a couple weeks later, we chose to spend one night at a Casino in Connecticut. Right after we arrived, another camper pulled in to the just-vacated spot in front of us, and the kids immediately came over to play. Come to find out, not only did this couple have the same names as the friends we had just come across (Brian and Cortney), but they also know them!! (Plus they’re from Wisconsin, which is an automatic 1,000 bonus points in my book.) We instantly clicked and plan to travel together sometime this fall. 

It is weird to say God is cool? I think He’s pretty cool.