It Happened In A Moment

It was a beautiful afternoon with sun filtering through trees as my mother and I walked with our dog, Jack, beneath an avenue of trees along the coast of the English Channel. An hour later we were back home, sipping mugs of hot tea, when in a moment my mother grabs her head. “Oh! A headache has just come!” In another moment, “My right hand is tingling.” I stand before her and see her mouth drooping on the right side. I ask her name, “Pat,” she answers slowly. I ask her last name. She’s struggling to remember. She begins to speak but the sounds are only gibberish. I phone the ambulance. It all happened in a moment.

In ten minutes the ambulance arrives. Another ten minutes and our vehicle of rescue flashes blue lights with sirens wailing. Ten more minutes and we are bolted through double doors of the hospital emergency department. In a moment my mother is wheeled into an empty bay. Curtains are drawn. The stroke team get to work. So much taking place in moments of time.

Something else was happening in those very moments. In my heart I called out to the All Seeing, All Knowing, All Loving One. In a moment Father God has dispatched angels to the scene. In the same moment He has infused my mind with peace along with my mother, too, who remained perfectly calm throughout. In a moment He has spoken loving reminders of His truth, like, “Call unto me and I will answer and show you great and mighty things which you do not yet know.” (Jeremiah 33:3) I call to Him and wait. In another moment the Holy Spirit whispers, “Cast all your cares upon Him for He cares for you.” (I Peter 5:7) In those moments I sense God’s holy and loving presence. I know in my heart, whatever the outcome, all will be well — in a moment.

You see, to the child of God, life and death takes on new meaning. To live on earth is to be filled with His Spirit, guided by Him, and lead along paths of peace and joy no matter the chaos of the world. To die on earth is to live on in heaven where tears and sorrow no longer exist. When a Christian leaves earth, the above ecstasy —all happens in just a moment.

Father God stands outside of time as you and I know it. He sees the end from the beginning. Nothing takes Him by surprise. He is in our every moment, loving us through every nano second of time. Never fear what any day may bring, for when it arrives, He is already in our every moment.