In Him
Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ – Acts 17:23-28 NKJV.
While my oldest son, Clark, was in high school; he came close to death at a track meet. Clark was not competing, but helping the coaches. Here are Clark’s recollections about what occurred: “I was in Jr. High, helping out at a high school track meet. I was at the thrower’s box, with one end of the measuring tape and Bobby Price at the other. We were measuring the high school girl’s discus event. Instead of rolling the discus back in from the field, Bobby decided to throw it. I did turn my head, and if I had not, it would have hit the back of my head, which the doctor said is where the cranium is weak due to it fusing together there while it was being formed. He even said that if it had hit anywhere else than where it did (the hard, thick ridge above my eye), I would have died or had serious brain damage.” When I arrived at the emergency room Clark was awake and alert. The doctor sewed up the wound with several stitches and sent him home.
The frightening thing for us was that as Clark said, he had just turned his head toward his friend when he was hit. If he had not turned his head at that exact moment the discus would have hit him in the back of the head, and most likely ended his life.
Some time ago I attended a funeral service for the father of a member of our church. The preacher made a statement that I’ve heard many times before, but it seemed to stick in my mind that day. He said, “We are all just one heartbeat away from death.” In a moment of time our lives can suddenly end. As true as that is, it is also true that “… in him we live, and move, and have our being.” I know that God turned the head of my son and spared his life.
As we go about our lives we should always be aware of the fragility of life. It is through the power of God that we walk through each day and each night. Each heartbeat is a heartbeat that God has given to us. With each heartbeat there is the assurance of God’s continued purpose for our lives in this world. What is the purpose, what is the reason God has given us for this day? It is a question we should ask each day of our lives.
(We are always only one heart beat away from eternity.)