Your Life Can Change in an Instant – by David Kitz

We all know that life has it's ups and downs, but for the most part I can say my life is quite predictable. But...

But every once in a while the unexpected happens and your life is suddenly changed in a moment. Two recent events brought this truth crashing home. 

Cathedral Grove, Vancouver Island

On the morning of May 6th I was on a leisurely morning stroll with my sister on a quiet residential street in Churchbrige, SK. I was on the tail end of a spectacular family vacation that had taken us to Victoria, Nanaimo and now Saskatchewan. Life was good. For the first time in about forty years I was home for Mothers Day weekend. It was great to be on this morning str...

Boom! I was struck from behind and sent flying. My knees hit the pavement as searing pain shot through my body. But the minivan that hit me kept coming. I rolled out of the way as my sister banged on the van and yelled for the driver to stop.

In that instant my life took on a different complexion. Who knows when I'll be out on a stroll again? Six weeks later I'm still in an air cast using crutches. The pain has subsided but is still present. 

Sometimes life will bring us to difficult or even impossible situations. That's where I found myself. We can see no way forward and it's impossible to turn back. That's the situation the people of Israel found themselves in as they set out to escape from Egypt. The sea blocked the way before them and the Egyptian army was pursuing them from behind. They had nowhere to turn but to the LORD.

What did the LORD do? He didn't take Israel around the problem or over it. He took them through it. We read these words: Your path led through the sea… (Psalm 77:19).

Inner Harbour, Victoria, BC

During the dark days of World War II, Winston Churchill gave his nation this advice, “If you are going through hell, keep going.”

Don't stop. Don't give up and hang your head in despair. You don't know the moment when the LORD will intervene on your behalf. You don't know when the sea will part. You don't know when you will be called to follow the LORD's invisible footprints onto the floor of the sea. That requires faith—steps of faith. And don't dillydally along the way. If you are going through hell, keep going. If you are going through the Red Sea, keep going. You don't want to be caught in the middle. That's what happened to Egypt's army. Have faith the LORD will bring you through and by all means keep going.

That brings me to the second sudden event. Last Thursday I got an e-mail message from someone I didn't know informing me that my novel had been approved for publication by a large US publishing house. In a moment everything changed. After fifteen years of frustration a positive answer came. 

Wherever you are remember this: Life can change in an instant. 

David Kitz lives and limps in Ottawa. Visit http://www.davidkitz.ca/