Moments Change Us Forever
O LORD, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him?
-- Psalm 144:3
Life can change forever in seconds. Literally. It is in those moments of despair that we understand with crystal-clear clarity what is important and what isn’t important.
My friend and her husband were out for a leisurely Sunday afternoon ride on their motorcycles. The fall weather was the perfect mix of sunny warmth and brilliant blue sky. She remembers suddenly being unable to steer her motorcycle as she went into a sharp curve. She ended up in a ditch about 20 feet from the motorcycle. She’s lucky to be alive.
The ambulance rushed her to the hospital. Friends rushed to her distraught husband’s side. The doctors worked tirelessly to save her leg -- and, thankfully, succeeded. Then, the following day, more surgery, this time on her crushed hand. She faces a long recovery. Thankfully, she will recover.
Prayers went up almost immediately after the accident. From the Bible study meeting at church when the call came to the Facebook prayer warriors who rallied. The pastor rushed to the hospital. So many of us hit our knees. It was really scary there for a while.
But God was there. He was with my friend and her husband in the seconds after the crash, before the ambulance and state troopers and before their friends. God watched over the hospital staff as they rushed to find and then repair the severed artery in her leg. He guided the hands of the surgeons. And He held her husband up when the reality of what he might lose was more than he could bear.
It reminded me of the words of David: Oh LORD, what is man that you care for him? God cares for us. He loves us. He is there with us when our world crashes around us. And He is there for the long haul, to help us pick up the pieces, to help us deal with a changed reality.
Because life after near death does change you. It prioritizes things. It prioritizes people. It prioritizes God. What matters? What is important? Who were you then? And who are you now? The same but changed. Different. Aware of how fragile the moments of time that make up our lives truly are. Embrace your life, while you can.
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