Have you ever had any “close calls”? I’m talking about times when something really bad COULD have happened but DIDN’T? I certainly have. One event particularly is on my mind today.

    One afternoon while I was in college, I was to join my parents for a homecoming assembly. Pulling on my new maroon poplin jacket, I walked through the parking lot and spied a circle of friends who were visiting behind a beautiful 1968 Mustang. Joining the circle for a few moments, I scooted onto the trunk of the car to sit and visit. A good friend owned the car. In fact, he was in the car. On top of that, he was about to drive off and unaware of my presence on the trunk!

    Imagine my surprise as I quickly left the conversation circle of my friends in an unexpected fashion. The Mustang was heading for the highway with a rather large trunk ornament on board. From where I sat, it didn’t look like the car was going very fast at all. So, rather than trouble my friend, I decided to scoot back off the trunk, run backwards to slow myself down, and just walk away like Joe Cool.

    It was a GREAT PLAN, but it defied the laws of physics. Guess what; physics won! I later discovered the car’s speed at that moment was fifteen to twenty miles an hour. When I slid off the trunk, I was surprised to find myself airborne, flying backwards in a sitting position. Realizing I was in trouble, I Lowered one leg to the pavement, but I remained airborne. Raising that leg, I put the other leg down for a moment. Then I managed to plant both legs on the ground, my two heels leaving skid marks on the asphalt. At that point, my back hit the pavement.

    Do you remember that old Irish blessing that begins “May the Road Rise to Meet you...”? Well that’s exactly what happened. It sure didn’t feel much like a blessing! The road rose to “meet me” a few more times before I slumped over into a drainage ditch. Fully conscious, I watched a wall of students run my direction and form a circle above me — it was just like in the movies. In the movies, however, someone invariably yells, “Move back! Give him some air!” I needed one of those guys. The wind was knocked out of me.

It sure didn’t feel much like a blessing!

    Slowly I moved all the major limbs, and stood up. Amazingly, I was fine except for a little road dust and a pocket of fluid on the back of my skull — a big “goose egg” was all I thought I had to show for my dramatic event. I didn’t even need medical attention. In fact, my shiny new maroon poplin jacket was just a little dusty.

    I slipped into the homecoming assembly and quickly sat down by my parents. I was a little dazed, but felt fine. As I listened to the speaker, I decided not to trouble my parents by telling them about my close call. When the assembly concluded and we stood to leave, my mother let out a shriek! “Cary, what happened?” I pulled off my jacket: the fabric on the back of it hung in dirty shredded tatters! You could see my back through my shirt! Needless to say it took a while to calm my folks down and assure them everything was okay. It was a VERY close call.

    I’m sure you’ve had some close calls. Romans 8:28 assures us that “all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His Purpose.” If you are a Christian, you meet those criteria, so even the bad things can be used for a good end, and that includes close calls. Close calls remind us that God is there for us. When we see the suffering in the world, when we see the terrible events that happen around us, we sometimes doubt God’s Presence, His love, and His providence. Close calls remind us of the bad things that might have happened, but didn’t. God is working in the world in ways we do not always understand, ways we do not always see, but which we accept on FAITH!

    Here’s one more angle on close calls. Close calls can occur, and can have potential, to effect our lives for GOOD. unfortunately, we often miss their blessings because their impact is lost on us because we chose not to expose ourselves to their blessings! You might have a “close call” of hearing a life changing lesson, but you sleep late on Sunday morning instead of going to worship. You might have a “close call” to help someone, but you are so focused on your own life, you miss the opportunity. You might have a “close call” of really following Jesus today, but you are just too busy or too distracted to pay Him any attention. Close calls like these, you don’t need! Instead of close calls and near misses with these kinds of blessings, we need contact with the Real Thing!

    Okay, so I got a little preachy there, but please be nice to me. Remember I’ve had a nasty bump on the head from a close call.

Title: "Close Calls!"
Author: Cary Branscum
Publication Date: August 9, 2001

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