26th March, 2008

CHOE BRERETON

Lately I have been contemplating the split second. More precisely, the things that can happen in split seconds to dramatically alter our lives. This is not a morbid train of thought, quite the contrary in fact. Through a few incredible instances God has made it abundantly clear that I should never hold in contempt the split second, the dawdling minute, or the hour that drags on. Behind them all is His grace, His wisdom and His ultimate plan to protect us. There are a lot of things in life that blow my mind but very few compare to seeing God move in ways unimaginable.

Recently I was prompted to recall a phone conversation I had with my husband a few months ago. He had been frustrated at the time and could not find his wallet. Work was over and he just wanted to get home. Usually he sets off at five but his lost wallet had kept him searching for another twenty minutes. Eventually he found it hidden in an enclave beneath the car stereo. When he called me back he was puzzled.

RANDOM WANDERINGS OR ORDERED STEPS: God says that ‘Our steps are ordered by Him’ and in that, says Choe Brereton, we can find complete assurance. PICTURE: Urbancow (www.istockphoto.com) "Some would say that was chance, others coincidence, others still pure luck. But I know God, and for that reason I know better."

“ I can’t even remember putting it there,” he said, “why would I do that?”

Why indeed, I wondered, because my husband is a very precise and methodical man. Very rarely does he do anything without thinking.

Thirty minutes after reassuring me that he was finally on the road, I received another phone call. It was him again, but this time he was quieter, as if he had just seen something disturbing.

“It’s the strangest thing,” he said, “but I have just driven past a very serious accident.”

Of course it was obvious what he was about to say next.

“ If I had found my wallet in time,” he continued, “if I had not been delayed by 20 minutes then I would have been involved in that accident. I know this road, I know how long it takes me to get places, it would have taken me about 20 minutes to get to the crash site. To think that I was upset, and yet I still don’t remember how my wallet got there.”

Some would say that was chance, others coincidence, others still pure luck. But I know God, and for that reason I know better. Only two days ago He intervened again to save my husband’s life in the space of a split second. The collision would have been fatal for him maybe, but certainly for the two passengers in the back. And to think that I was in a bad mood with him that day, not knowing that had it not been for God alone, for His perfect split second timing, that I may never have seen my husband again. The events that have to take place to lead up to that one crucial moment is what makes my mind periodically explode. To know that any decision outside of what was made could have altered the outcome forever.

God says that ‘Our steps are ordered by Him’ and in that we can find complete assurance. I am glad that He hid my husband’s wallet, and that on the most recent occasion He completely cleared one lane of traffic. That’s why I never worry when I wave Dominic off to work, or why I refuse to fear when he goes out in the surf for hours. God’s Word for me is the only truth I know and nothing in life compares to the reality of it. Every day I am given a reason to praise Him. This is the wow factor in my life...the things that could be but aren’t all because we are known by a God who is powerful and loving. There is nothing that makes me more excited, more charged and bowled over in life, than when God steps in and takes full control.

If whilst being chased through a forest by a man eating tiger, a coconut drops from a tree, strikes the tiger on the head and kills it, you would feel gratitude for your stroke of luck. If a second time you find yourself being chased through the forest by another man eating tiger who is killed by a second falling coconut, you would scratch your head a little puzzled but still feel gratitude at your great fortune. But if a third time you find yourself being chased through the forest by a tiger that is killed by a third falling coconut, you will pause and wonder whether there is something more going on than you once thought.

My mother use to tell me this parable as a way of showing that chance and coincidence cannot be repeated.

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