Reflecting back on the decades, I seem to see a pattern emerging from my life; and, from that pattern, a message. It is this: until we accomplish our mission, we are indestructible!
Allow me to unpack and interpret that a little. Quite simply, God has placed us on Planet Earth to complete a task – a task that is as unique as our fingerprints.
Now Satan, of course, is aware of this; and he will try his damnedest, ever and again, to thwart the fulfilment of our life-mission. And, to that end, he is perfectly capable of exploiting our human carelessness, foolishness, rashness, fear and frenzy to bring about our premature demise!
I can illustrate the message of “indestructible until completion” by an example from history. It involves the explorer Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton (1874 – 1922), who, talking about his 1916 polar expedition, mentioned an “unseen friend” accompanying him. “When I look back,” he said, “I have no doubts that Providence guided us, not only across those snowfields, but across the storm-white sea.” He went on: “I know that during that long and racking march of thirty-six hours over the unnamed mountains and glaciers of South Georgia, it seemed to me often that we were four, not three. I said nothing to my companions; but afterwards, Worsley said to me, ‘Boss, I had a curious feeling on that march that there was another person with us.’ ”
Let me now illustrate the message on a personal level. When I was seven years of age, I was terrified of drowning, and thus hated swimming. To get me over the fear, my parents engaged a swimming teacher. However, this (no doubt fine) gentleman had a cleft lip, which made him look sinister; and, to heighten the horror, his rasping voice echoing round the glass-and-tile of the old swimming pool literally put the fear of the Devil in me!
That first swimming lesson was an experience I didn’t want to repeat; and so, before the second session, I swallowed some substances from my chemistry set…and then went to hide.
Can you imagine the state my parents were in when they finally found me and learned what I’d done? – They frantically phoned a doctor, who told them to mix mustard in a glass of water and force me to drink it. To this day, I can recall the trauma of the projectile vomiting that ensued!
And yet, my parents’ quick action and the mustard-based concoction saved my life. My seven-year-old foolishness that could so easily have brought about my death…didn’t. And ever since that day, I – like Worsley on that perilous journey with Shackleton – have had an unshakeable sense that I am being accompanied by an “unseen friend”.
Have you ever had a narrow escape yourself? – Do, please, recall the details, and be mindful of the feelings they left you with. There’s a message in there somewhere.
