We were happily traveling along in our rented 2019 Tahoe, with the music playing and just rolling along the Interstate.
We saw a car that looked exactly like the one we were driving, race by us driving reckless. Mik and I were commenting on how this person was driving so crazy. We watched them as they sped by us and they went to pass 2 semi-trucks that were both in the right-hand lane of a 2 lane interstate, just as the semi that was in the rear went into the left lane beside the first semi and blocked out the car. We watched as the car tried to get thru and then zipped over to the far right and passed on the right-hand shoulder of the road. It was raining and it was happening as we were all climbing a hill and as the car passed on the shoulder, they all dropped down on the other side of the hill, and the spray coming off of the semi-trucks tires made it impossible to see anything. I commented to Mik that whatever was going on was not going to end well. I was still shaking my head about what I just saw, and I looked in my mirror and there were lights - flashing lights - a bunch of them!
I went to pull over, but mostly just thinking I would slow down and get out of their way and let them by because they were coming FAST and looked to be in hot pursuit. As I slowed down; I realized they slowed down too, ...I said, " OH @#*&$, they are pulling ME over!!" .....as I came to a stop I was rolling my window down at the same time, getting ready to find out WHAT I was getting pulled over for. The lead police car went a little by us... threw his car in reverse and stopped it at an angle just off my left shoulder IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSTATE and pulled his gun out. He was in firing position behind his car yelling - PUT YOUR HANDS UP!!!
I went into complete panic mode! I couldn't make sense of what was happening. The radio was playing worship music, and I was being yelled at to put my hands up. There were 3 more police cars surrounding us, with 3 of the officers out of their cars with their guns out and pointed at us. One was pointed at me and the other 2 at the kids from behind the car. Everything seemed so loud and fast and dangerous and out of control!!! All I wanted to do was get out of that death trap! I had my hands up, as did all the kids (including Cellie, the 4 year old) and I would move from hands up and looking at the police who was yelling at me, to turning my head and yelling to the kids in the back to get their hands up, to taking my left hand down and desperately feeling for the door handle. I had to get out and away from that car and get those guns off of us. Since it was a rented car....my hand could not find that door handle in all my panic.
Mik was in the passenger seat in the front, with his hands up, and he says in the calmest and clearest tone I've ever heard come out of his mouth, "They think it's us." That's all he had to say for it to ALL come together in my swirling brain!!! I started frantically waving and pointing ahead of us, and yelling, "It's not us - they went that way."
The police heard me and came to the same realization at the same time (they later explained) and they got back in their cars and sped away. We sat there stunned. We were sitting in disbelief..... By the time they got back in their cars and sped away, which was probably seconds and felt like an hour, there were at least 9 police vehicles in the chase with lights flashing! Nobody stopped to explain to us what was going on.
We finally pulled ourselves together to get back on the road and within a minute you could see the car coming the other direction with the line of police chasing behind. The car had taken the opportunity when the police were occupied with us, and they had crossed the median and tried to sneak by. It didn't work, the police were hot on their trail.
Charlie called the police from that county that night to get some answers as to what in the world was going on that had his family pulled over and guns were drawn.
They called him back the next morning and they also called me after they talked to Charlie. They were so nice and explained exactly what happened and were sincerely apologetic. They were chasing the car that looked like ours since Billings and once they had crossed state lines, they had to leave it to Wyoming to pursue the car and they caught sight of the car about the time we saw it and they lost sight of it when they passed the semis. It really was the perfect storm, and we could totally understand how it happened. They also sent a very nice and professional letter of apology and explanation. The police were already looking for how to get ahold of us when Charlie called them first; they wanted to contact us, apologize and make sure we were ok. They ended up getting the car stopped with a spike strip. The officer that I spoke with said hindsight is 20/20 and someone should have stayed back after they pulled us over to explain what was going on and make sure everyone was ok. If anyone understands ADRENALINE and HINDSIGHT these days...it's me...so I totally understand!
The car they were chasing looked just like ours and was a rented vehicle driven by a woman and it had Colorado plates....our plates were Colorado also.
***I spent a lot of the rest of the drive replaying the events that took place and asking the Lord to show me what I couldn't see, help me to see what is going on in the spiritual realm. I feel like our lives are under attack, but we are surrounded and protected.***
2 Kings 6:15-17 New Living Translation (NLT)
15 When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha.
16 “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” 17 Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.
The importance of our "identity" also kept running thru my mind as I thought thru the events. We are in a series at church and we are talking about "identity". I mean to tell you, it was a super clear example of the dangers of getting identity wrong!!!
May we and everyone who comes into contact with us know WHO we are IN CHRIST and may we live our lives true to that identity!
1 Peter 2:10 New Living Translation (NLT)
10 “Once you had no identity as a people;
now you are God’s people.
Once you received no mercy;
now you have received God’s mercy.”
now you are God’s people.
Once you received no mercy;
now you have received God’s mercy.”
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