A 3-Mile Run

Subtitle, “When Life Becomes Critical”

I was in the ambulance and while I don’t remember, I think they had the oxygen over my nose and mouth and they were talking to me.

I had heard many emergency sirens and seen ambulances pass during my lifetime but I had never been inside of one where I was the one who needed critical care. The paramedics were talking to me. I was having a heart attack.  

I don’t know any other way to put it. I did not experience one ounce of anxiety during the whole episode. Our children had graduated from various colleges and become independent and made us proud. My wife had my pension and I had completed half of my vacation bucket list so, “No worries; mission accomplished.”  In a few short hours or minutes I could be facing my Maker.

Despite the fact that I was still young my heart had taken a page out of Isaiah 40. It became weary and it fainted but I had no anxieties about it and the only possible reason I can give for the lack of anxiety is due to years of work on building up my faith relationship with God.

Fast forward to last weekend. I jogged 3 and a half miles and I was not tired. I had run and not gotten weary. I know that Isaiah was giving comfort to a nation when he uttered those words but I could not help but take it personally. My strength was renewed and God did it.

Life gets critical all the time.  A student is in danger of being kicked out of school, a home foreclosure, bad news from the doctor and any number of things happen to bring us to critical places in our lives.  I believe that it is not enough just to tell someone that they need to trust God. They already know that. We need to try to tell them how to trust Him. I suggest that we work on building our faith before life becomes critical so that when we walk through the valleys and shadows of death, we will actually fear no evil. I try to work on my faith on a daily basis. I might not have but 5 minutes, but I take those 5 minutes to read His Word, watch His Word in action, and embrace his Word so when the critical times crop up, they eventually dissolve into a mixture faith, hope and love, which results in a 3-mile run, a hearty Praise God, and a blog about what to do when life gets critical.

That is my suggestion.  What is your suggestion?