Heart and Soul: Angels

When I was young(er), okay, a lot younger, I had a little bit of a wild hair up my nose that, I’m sure, was the source of some of the dumbest things I’ve ever attempted. But, as goofy in the head that I may have been, it really doesn’t hold a candle to the massive void and disconnect that is going on in certain individuals walking on planet Earth today! (It makes me feel so much better if there is someone else I can put down…)

One day, I was in a rather hyper state. It was Friday afternoon, payday, sunny, and apparently I had no room for intelligent brain activity. I was young, full of pride, and owned a beater of a car that I put way too much money into. I loved racing in that old thing, but often had little regard for others endeavouring to share the road. (It’s a good thing I grew up!)

I worked in a sawmill, down a dusty gravel road, and that day, I didn’t feel like eating everybody’s dust on the way out to the highway, so I did what any young person who suffers from the lack of neuron connection would… I passed everyone, except for the guy in front of me who had the same thought. So I, brimming with higher intelligence, decided to continue following this person around corners and straight stretches alike at high speeds on the wrong side of the road, attempting to pass everyone. I couldn’t see anything but his dust, and figured that as long as there was dust in front, so was he… A sick feeling came over me, and I swerved back into my rightful lane just as I met another vehicle coming straight at me. I didn’t know until later, that I sprayed gravel all over his pickup, smashing his windshield and almost put another car into the bushes as I cut him off.

Finally, I reached pavement and clean air… but it didn’t seem to help my brain out one bit. There was a corner, a short straight stretch, then another 90 degree corner, with a stop sign just as the road emptied out onto the main highway. Well, that little straightaway had just enough room to pass one more car, but didn’t allow enough room for bringing the ol’ beast to a stop (or even slow down for that matter) for the stop sign that was waiting. I pushed on the brake but could tell that stopping wasn’t an option, while at the same time, a semi tractor/trailer unit was coming from the left, and a fully loaded logging truck slowing to turn onto the road I was on, was coming from the right.

Funny what goes through your mind in those moments, isn’t it?

Actually, I think I was drawing a complete blank, kind of consistent with the preceding moments, and decided to bury the throttle and hope for the best! From both directions, there was very loud air horn blasts, of which I was the object of attention, as I managed to squeeze my 1969, 327 2-door post-less Impala pile of junk right through the middle of these 65,000 kg trucks.

To my complete and utter amazement, as well as everyone else’s, I made it out the other side… yet another time when I’m sure that laundry duty was called for!

If you’ve never felt like you had a new lease on life… this was one of those moments…

I couldn’t believe that I made it through what could have been a fatality that day. I believe that there were a couple of extremely exhausted angels wishing they had a different assignment, watching over me.

I’ve often said that if you can make it through teen years alive, it’s nothing short of a miracle. I think my car must have shrunk to make it through what I did, and I believe God decided to override my stupidity.

There are so many moments when He intervenes, when we can’t explain a miraculous survival, or moments where we’re delayed just long enough to avoid calamity.

Psalm 91:11 says “For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.” (Even in spite of us) I’m glad He did for me that day… and Monday, when I had to face co-workers with damaged vehicles!

Have a great week!