In the Blink of an Eye

 So, you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.  Matthew 24:44 NIV

 My wife, Charlotte, and I were in fast-moving, heavy traffic in Knoxville, Tennessee, heading to the mountains on the first day of vacation. Traffic hemmed us in on all sides, moving well over the speed limit of 55 mph. Directly in front of us was an eighteen-wheeler hauling scrap lumber, covered mostly by a tarp. The back-left corner loosened and flapped in the wind. I noticed this abstractly, not even remembering I had seen it until later.

 In a way, it was beautiful how the board lifted off the back of the trailer in front of us. The slipstream flowing over the truck created a vacuum, and it suctioned the board out through the flapping gap in the loosened tarp. The board—three to four feet wide, five feet long, and at least an inch thick—floated and hung in the air before diving for our windshield.

 Charlotte screamed. I could do nothing—and there was no time to do anything anyway. The hurtling board grew huge and filled the windshield.

 Jesus told His disciples they must always be ready for His return. The same is true of our going to Him. Unless we happen to be on death row and our appeals have run out, none of us know when God will call us home. Most of us don’t even want to think about it. Me included. But that day will come.

 I don’t particularly worry about that day. Like a toddler on the beach, holding his father’s hand, I hold my father’s hand. I get knocked down by waves, trip over my feet, and get distracted by shiny shells, but my father’s grip never wavers. And when that day comes, He’ll still be holding my hand.

And that board flying toward us at sixty mph? It wasn’t our day to go home. At the last fraction of a second, an angel lifted it on its side, and it went down the side of the car. Neatly sliced off my driver’s mirror and scraped here and there down the side, but that was all the damage done. Thank you, Father, thank you.

Someday, though, the final day will come for all of us—probably in the blink of an eye. Are you holding God’s saving hand and walking in His love? Be ready.

Peter Caligiuri has been writing poetry since he was a teen-ager. Some of his short poems and devotionals have appeared in various periodicals such Secret Place, Breakthrough Intercessor and The Upper Room. Peter holds a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education/English from Western Connecticut State College as well as having attended Elim Bible College. https://christiandevotions.us/viewauthor/430