Everybody's Got To Be Somewhere

Ever had one of those days when it seems everything is going wrong, but at the end of the day you sit back and discover that because of all the unexpected things that happened, it turned out to be a perfect day? Weird isn’t it? Then, of course, if you’ve had a drivers license long enough you’ve found yourself happy to be running a couple of minutes late when you drive up on an accident which just occurred. It happened to me just the other day. I stopped to just say “Hi” to someone then traveled on. Two blocks away I saw a pick-up run the stop sign at the intersection I would have been at if I hadn’t have stopped for 5 seconds to greet someone. By the way. I also have to admit, having driven long enough, I’ve run right through stop signs, my brain being someplace else at the time. That cold chill of near death runs through the body every time we do stupid things like that. Do you take a moment to thank God for looking after you? I do for sure.
Where was God on Tuesday morning, September 11, 2001? First of all God was trying to discourage many from taking one of the four flights with a potential of carrying over 1000 passengers. All together only 266 passengers boarded the flights of demise that fateful morning. God was on each of those four commercial flights giving terrified passengers the ability to stay calm. Not one of the loved ones phoned from any of the high-jacked aircraft reported hearing any screaming in the background. On one of the flights God was giving strength to the passengers, enabling them to try to overtake their high-jackers. God was busy creating obstacles, preventing employees from entering the World Trade Center. Many reported odd things happening, causing them to be late for work that morning. It has been estimated that as few as 20,000 out of 50,000 daily employees were in the two towers when the first plane crashed. God was holding up two 110 story buildings allowing 2/3 of the people in the towers to escape death. Amazing was the fact that neither tower simply toppled over from being impacted by a jumbo jet traveling at over 400 mile per hour. Being without a doubt the worst event witnessed by the world in fifty plus years, I can see God’s love at work in every bit of it.
[Psalm 107] I can’t swear to it, but I think it was the great philosopher, Yogi Berra, who said, “Everybody’s got to be somewhere”. That’s what makes the world go ‘round and I thank God we’re like snowflakes, no two the same. I can quote Yogi on this one: “Baseball is 90% mental. The other half is physical.” Think about those who answered the call that frightful Tuesday morning. Police, Fire and Medical personal who never thought twice about their own safety, only of helping others in their time of peril. These folks have hundreds of hours of training and countless hours of experience, and knowing the risks that lay in front of them as they approached the towers complex, they put their life on hold to do all they could to rescue or save another. Thank God for their courage and their love for their neighbor. And, the next morning you think the whole world is against you because the children won’t get dressed fast enough, or you can’t find you car keys, or the car won’t start, or you have a flat tire, or you hit every traffic light red on your way to work, or you turn back to answer the phone, stop and think, “This is exactly where God wants me to be at this very moment.” Let your frustrations melt away in the comfort that God is watching over you and perhaps rescuing you at that very moment.