I got quite a scare tonight. I pulled into the church parking lot and saw a young man, Matt, riding his bicycle. He looked as if he had an obstacle course set up, swerving in and out between the cars and vans. I pulled around to pull into an open spot and just as my wheels turned, I heard the sound of a body colliding with a car – my car. It took a second for the thought to register. Matt had tried to get past my car before I turned. He miscalculated the amount of room he needed and ran right into the side of my car.
Thank God for collapsible mirrors. I managed to screech to a stop and give him room to recover. My mirror needed to be put back into place, but Matt didn’t have a scratch on him.
As I took my place on the piano bench a few minutes later, I thought how quickly two lives could have been changed in one moment. What if I’d been driving a bit faster or taken a sharper turn?
A lot can happen in a moment. A friend of mine lost control of her car on the interstate. Before she knew what happened, she crossed the median, cut across three lanes of on-coming traffic and wound up on the other side of the highway. Her car was damaged, but she had no physical injuries. Her mind took quite a beating though. For weeks afterward, she could play the accident over and over in her head, each time thanking God once again for His protection.
The apostle Paul spoke of a moment when a tremendous change will take place.
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. I Corinthians 15:52
How fast does an eye twinkle? That’s how fast we’ll be changed. Our corruptible bodies will be made incorruptible, a suitable dwelling for our souls in heaven.
We have this promise because of a decision we make that only takes a moment. “Whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." How long does it take to acknowledge Jesus Christ as your Savior? Only a moment. But in that short amount of time, you pass from death to life. Your name is written in the book of life, and the angels begin to rejoice. What a moment!
I hope you’ve taken the time to make that decision. Every moment for the rest of your eternal life depends on it.
I’m going to take a few more minutes tonight to thank God for protecting Matt.
Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for saving my soul, and reserving my place in Heaven. I praise You! In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.
7 comments:
Dear Donna,
I had a 'moment in time' yesterday. First of all, I thought it was Friday and I headed for the flea market that is open only on Fridays. I wound up going to Sam's Club instead. I then decided to go to Toys R Us, to pick up something my daughter wanted for Christmas. As I drove down the road to Toys R Us, I saw something go down from the corner of my eyes. As I rounded the bend, I turned to see if whatever fell got back up. I saw this large figure on the ground, so I pulled over to see if it will get up. It didn't. Then I realized it was a person. I deseparately searched for the emergency signal (I have a new van and didn't know where it was, and didn't find it). Then I said to myself 'the heck with it', although I was parked at a dangerous place - at the end of the bend. I ran to the to find an elderly woman laying on the ground, not moving. She had landed on the right side of her face. THere was blood coming out of her nose and mouth. I was so scared. I had to run back to my van to get my cell phone. Angry cars honked their horn as they rounded the bend and found my van there. I told her to please not move (not that she could) that I was calling 911. Then it hit me..."where am I? What is the name of the street?" I couldn't tell 911 where I was, but I least knew the town, so they transfered me to the East Brunswick Police station. The officer on the phone was able to get me to describe where I was. All this time, she still laid on the ground, not able to move or talk.
I saw two men walking and I signaled them to help. They came over and helped the elderly woman up. I can't tell you the amount of blood on her face and ground. She was also bleeding from her ear. I tried to ask her questions, but she didn't know much. I asked her for her name and when she said Maria, I knew she was Spanish and I spoke to her in the language in which she is familiar. She did say that her daugther lived a few buildings down, but did not know her daughter's address or apartment number, or phone number. One of the men went to the apartments to look for her daugther, Wilma, but couldn't find where she lived. The police and ambulance finally arrived. We tried to help her up, as she insisted on going to her daughters. She said she was fine. She never whimped or cried out. When I asked her where she had pain, she pointed to her face. The ambulance driver asked me to ask her what was her birthdate, she could not remember, although she did say she was 77 years old. She didn't want to go to the hospital, and the amublance driver said he couldn't force her. So I suggested to both the police and peramedic to take her to her daugther's apartment and they said they can't do that. I looked at them and said, "What are you telling me? You can't leave her here, she is obviously hurt?" I saw in the pedimedic's eyes a look of helplessness. His hands were tied by the law. Then he asked her if she knew what day it was. She said no, so he said that by-law, if a person does not know the day, then they have the right to take them into the hospital. I laughed inside because earlier I didn't know the day either. They placed her in the ambulance and right before they were about to leave, a man in a pickup pulled over and introduced himself as the super of the complex and wanted to know what was going on. I asked him if he knew anyone who lived in the complex by the name of Wilma, just as the officer asked him to look in the ambulance to see if he knew the elderly woman. It turned out to be his mother-in-law. I thanked God on the spot. You see, my biggest fear for her was that she was alone and I didn't want her to go to the hospital alone. I felt so relieved that a relative of hers was there for her. I left when he took over.
So, talk about a 'moment in time.' I wasn't suppose to be there because it was Thursday, not Friday. But because I thought it was Friday, I was there, at a time when this elderly woman fell. Had I not seen her, she would have laid there bleeding for a long period of time. The area she fell was quite and without human traffic. The cars that went by, passed by quickly. Because she laid at the bottom of a hill, no one would have seen her. She landed on broken gravel and tar and away from the view of the street. The only reason I saw her, was because I saw something go down and wondered what it was and didn't see it get up so I stopped to check. The officer said that she was lucky that I happened by, and that I spoke Spanish. They could not communicate with her. It turned out that she does know English, but I guess in her shock, and I know she was in shock because she never cried out in pain, that she probably forgot. I had asked her if she spoke English when she respond to my questions and she said 'no'.
This is a 'moment in time' I will never forget.
Marilyn
Donna, I'm praying for God to increase your territory. Are you familiar with The Prayer of Jabez? Keep writing divine stories with a human touch! God has bigger plans for you! I just know it. God bless.
Dotsie Bregel
www.boomerwomenspeak.com
I am sorry Matt scared you last night. He told me that
he had mis-calculated and thought you were going to
park by Pastor Don's car. What he failed to mention is
that he was riding it. The bicycle Matt was riding was
supplied by my mother so that he had something to ride
when he came to visit.
One day on the main street of Wyndemere Apartments
drive, Matthew was riding it and I turned away for no
more than a second, when I looked back he was laying
in the middle of the street with his leg stuck in the
frame of the bicycle. He had turned the handle bars so
far that the front wheel had went 90 degrees to the
frame. The bike flipped him and down he went.
After I saw your devotion, I called Matt and warned
him to expect the unexpected and that he should have
been walking the bike in the parking lot.
I am sorry for your fright, and hope there isn't any
damage to your car.
Dan
*I got this from Matt's Dad. My car is fine. I was more worried about Matt! I had a feeling it wasn't his first close call. *g*
Your comment about 'expecting the unexpected' fits right in with today's devotional. We don't know the exact moment in time when we'll meet our Savior face to face! Thanks for stopping by, and for your concern. - Donna
Donna, you touch a lot of lives with the things you write. You have touched mine. - Patty B.
Your devotionals are very soothing to those who read them.
Marilyn
Oh, my, Marilyn! What a day. The Lord directed your steps. That's a wonderful story of God's provision.
I'm glad the policeman didn't ask YOU what day it was! LOL!!! That's funny. You have a wonderful story-telling ability.
Dotsie, I've heard of the Prayer of Jabez, but I haven't read any of the material associated with it. Perhaps I should! You are too kind.
Patty, thanks for stopping by. Marilyn, I like the idea of being 'soothing.' Thanks.
Donna
Donna: God's promises are true. What a difference a moment with God can make in our lives! I thank God for giving us so many promises and to see them come true before our very own eyes! His hand was caring for both, Matt and you!
Thanks for reminding us how important it is to have a relationship with our Creator and Redeemer!
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