God Was With Us
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9
My cousin Paul and I were on a weekend Boy Scout camping trip near a rock quarry when we were young teenagers. It was a Sunday morning in early spring, and our troop was packing up everything and having some last-minute fun. Paul and I decided to take one more walk along the rim of the quarry before his dad showed up to drive us home. As I was sitting near the edge of the rim looking east at the rising sun and the valley below us, Paul was approaching me to my left, taking exaggerated long steps. I yelled to him to be careful, because there were patches of thin ice and mud where he was walking. Just when I said those words, Paul’s feet slipped from underneath him, and I could see him sliding towards the edge of the cliff. I jumped up and over towards him, hoping to grab his hands or any part of his body before he disappeared over the edge. It was too late, and I remember seeing his body, arms, and hands all disappear. His momentum carried him away from the quarry wall as he somersaulted in the air down to the quarry floor. Halfway down, his voice stopped, and there was no noise at all until he collided with the ground. I got up and started running nearly halfway around the rim to find a trail that led to the quarry floor. I was shouting to everyone below that my cousin had just fallen, and I could hear Paul making weird sounds like he was trying to breathe. I was frantic because I thought he was going to die.
Amazingly, Paul did not die. He did not even break any bones. The doctors believed he became unconscious during his fall, causing his muscles to relax, which allowed his body to better absorb the impact of hitting the ground. He landed a few feet away from a massive boulder that was laying on the floor of the quarry. On our ride home, none of us said much of anything, and I often wonder what Uncle Earnie was thinking about during that drive home. Paul was their only child.
God saved a lot of people that morning. He clearly saved my cousin Paul. God also saved Uncle Earnie and Aunt Jeane, for they would have been devastated to lose their only child.
God saved me as well, on multiple levels. If I had been able to grab Paul’s hand, I probably would have slid over the quarry edge with him. If both of us were free-falling down that cliff, Paul may not have fallen in the exact right way to save his life, and I would have ended up on top of that massive boulder. By allowing Paul to live, God also saved me from forever kicking myself for not being able to grab Paul before he went over the edge of that cliff. It was a miracle God provided all of us that morning, and I will be forever grateful to our Savior.
When we can, we need to try to help others in their moments of crisis. But we will not always be successful in our attempts to be the hero. That does not mean we have failed, or a negative outcome is assured. If we put forth our best efforts and have faith in God, we will have all we need to handle whatever happens in our lives.
Prayer: Our loving Father, please give us courage to act whenever someone needs our help, and faith to know You are with us no matter what happens. Amen.
Kurt Fish
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