Christian Living

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The Living Smile
©
by

Stephen A. Peterson


18 year old Shannon McCormick was driving from Shawnee, Oklahoma to Will Rogers Airport in Oklahoma City to pick up her best friend who was expected to arrive late that afternoon. Nearly 50 miles to the airport, Shannon found it extremely difficult to keep her mind on her driving. She had so many things to do over the next three days—pack her things to get ready to move on campus at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater to begin her college education; fill out additional paperwork to receive her scholarship funds; pay for her clothing purchases; keep her dental appointment; pay her gasoline credit card bill before the due date as well as a dozen other things. It was no wonder that Shannon was feeling overwhelmed and excited about the prospects of seeing a friend she had not seen for nearly two years.

Speeding along I-40 then merging onto I-240, Shannon witnessed an eastbound semi-truck cross over into the westbound lane striking a compact car. “Oh my God!” screamed Shannon. She pulled out her cell phone then dialed 911 and frantically called for help. Stopping to do whatever she could, she ran over to the accident scene as quickly as she could to do whatever possible.

“This is terrible!” she thought. When she arrived closer to the site of the accident and looked at the crushed metal that was once a car, she could see what looked to be four trapped people. On the driver’s side was a man who, in Shannon’s estimation, was dead. So was the woman on the passenger side and what looked to be a teenage boy behind the driver. Behind the woman was a little girl still in her seatbelt and still breathing. Shannon frantically came closer to the car and tried to open the door to rescue the littlest passenger. As Shannon tried to pull open the door, the girl, who appeared to be 6 maybe 7 years old spoke up.

“Daddy, mommy, Robby!”

“Hold on, little girl!” shouted a now crying Shannon. “I’m trying to get you out! Hold on! Please!”

No matter what Shannon did the door would not budge. “Come on door!” yelled Shannon. “Hold on little girl! Help is coming! Please help me, God!”

It was at that time the little girl began to cry out. “No! No! Don’t take my daddy, momma and brother! NO!” The little girl seemed to be talking to Shannon.

“No!” the little girl screamed. “I wanna go too! Don’t leave me here!”

“What are you talking about?” Shannon screamed through the broken window.

“Can’t you see him? There’s an angel over there! He’s taking my daddy, mommy and brother. I wanna go too! Don’t leave me!” she screamed once again.

Finally, a rescue team and ambulance arrived to begin their attempt to free the remaining living passenger. “Don’t leave me!” screamed the little girl again.

Shannon wondered what or who the little girl was talking about—angels! What angels? Where? Shannon couldn’t see anything to resemble an angel. It must be hysteria and the fact that the little girl was so badly injured that she was saying these weird things.

As the rescue workers worked quickly to remove the bloodied door, the badly inured little girl lifted her arms as though something or somebody was reaching out to pick her up. At that very moment, Shannon and the rescue worker saw the little girl smile and close her eyes. She was dead.

Although the little girl had died, the rescue worker carefully unbuckled the seatbelt and gently lifted and carried the now dead child then said, “She has now gone home to be with the Lord! Glory be to God! The Lord is Good! She will suffer no!”

“How can you say that? An innocent little girl is dead! Why would a good God do such a horrible thing? There is no God! I hate God!”

“I don’t know why this happened,” said the rescue worker. “But just look at the smile on her little face. She has seen the Lord and is with Him right now!”

“I don’t believe in God nor do I believe angels exist either!” shouted a beleaguered teenage girl.

Still holding the dead little girl in he arms, the rescue worker said, “I’ve seen so many die in auto accidents, fires, falls and other catastrophes. Those who have seen the love of God and have been saved always have a smile on their faces. I believed what you witnessed was God taking this little girl to Himself. His sign is this little girl’s beautiful smile. He came back to get her. The Lord is here to take your hand and place you under His wing if you’ll let Him. The Lord is here!”

Shannon repeated her verbal rejection of God on that day. She argued that God was cruel and insensitive. She did so for a little while longer. She tried desperately to forget about the deadly accident that took the lives of an entire family. However, she could not. The memory of the face of a smiling little girl could not be forgotten. One, two, three years passed before Shannon reconciled her hurt, pain and suffering with God. She came to believe in a living and loving God through the smile of child.

Shannon did, now will you?

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