Craig Clouston

'The Belt Buckle'

June 1

"Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life. You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes; with your right hand you save me".

Psalm 138:7

The first thing George remembered was waking up in the Emergency Room, hearing his father's voice, “Do whatever it takes!” His father was imploring the doctors and nurses that slowly came into focus around his son to please save his son's life! He was slowly gaining consciousness, but awareness and intelligent thought still evaded him. He instinctively knew he had been in a serious accident. But the when, where, what and how weren't yet tangible.

“Your son is fortunate to be alive according to the statements of those at the site of his accident. EMTs say his helmet was scraped almost completely through and the handlebars were bent at a ninety degree angle from the impact. We believe his belt buckle absorbed the impact by the looks of the damage done to it and the bruising around his abdomen.” The doctor continued, “Had that handlebar not hit the buckle it would have penetrated his abdomen, doing who knows how much damage. He's going to be sore for some time but it's a miracle he's not laying here with extensive trauma to his midsection.”

That triggered the memory hiding just outside George's grasp. He remembered the quick glimpse of a pick up truck running a red light too close for him to maneuver his 1979 RD 400 motorcycle around or stop short of colliding with the truck.

More snippets would return over the years but it would take years for George to come to the understanding that not remembering everything about that day was a blessing. One thing he knew in his heart about that day was God had used that belt buckle to save his life.

†

How many times has God, unaware to us, protected us from serious injury or death? I'm sure we can all relate to George's situation, we have all had 'close calls' or 'unexplained circumstances' that changed the direction of our lives. I know I was reminded of several possible Heavenly interventions over my lifetime.

But did we, at that moment, recognize the hand of God at work, or were they simply coincidences? It is my belief that we will be surprised upon our arrival in Heaven to find out there were many more times God intervened in the circumstances of our lives, moments that had eternal implications, events that could have or would have changed the path we were on. Perhaps giving us more time to invite Jesus to come into our heart. If you are reading this and have not yet asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior I invite you to do that now. We are not guaranteed tomorrow. That choice must be made prior to our death. This life is fleeting. Eternity is forever. Hell is full of people who thought they had more time.

Prayer

“Thank You, Lord, for your conspicuous protection, for Your mighty right hand that saves me. Thank You for watching over me. Draw me closer as I ponder such love. Love that sent Your Son, Jesus to die in my place so I could spend Eternity with You. Amen.”