my brother’s truck, moving downhill fast, got far ahead of me. with it went the last vestiges of my courage. on one side of my little car the mountain rose like a gigantic wall of sheer rock. on the other side was thin air. i struggled desperately not to look over the edge. 

traffic was streaming down the grade, mostly big trucks in the righthand lane. i wanted to join them there but i could not bring myself to steer to the right, toward the edge. instead i kept inching to the left, going slower and slower in the passing lane, trying to hug the mountain wall. 

drivers behind me honked their horns angrily. panic paralyzed me. i wanted to stop but there was no place to pull over. i tried to say the lord’s prayer. my throat was too tight for words to come. 

ahead of me i could see that the road made a sweeping turn to the left. a river of steel was rushing around that curve, moving fast under the pull of gravity. i knew that all i had to do was inch the steering wheel to the left and keep pace with traffic, but my arms were rigid. the fear that filled the car was stronger, much stronger, than i was. 

behind me the impatient horns blared their angry chorus. i was absolutely certain that i was going to plunge straight ahead, through the flimsy barrier, then down, down, down through an endless drop. i moaned through clenched teeth. again i tried to pray, this time silently. i begged god not to fail me, to take full control of the situation. lord, save me from my fear. 

then, abruptly, something unbelievable happened. the traffic roared on. the curve was coming closer. but suddenly, in a flash, the fear vanished. i experienced a presence, virtually a palpable sensation, of overwhelming love filling my car, washing over me, blotting our the stark panic. another phrase from the bible flashed into my mind; "perfect love casteth out fear." i felt that perfect love, the lord’s love, reaching out to touch my shoulder. a voice, soundless yet perfectly real, said, you are safe now. i am here.