Divine Intervention...

Have you ever watched the film "Its a Wonderful Life"?

If you haven't, you really should, it's a great movie! Anyway, if you do know the film, do you remember how George saved the life of his younger brother when they were children? Do you remember that George's little brother went on to be a war hero and save the lives of hundred of men? If George hadn't done what he did, then things would not be quite the same for many, many families and many children would not have been conceived and lived out fruitful and productive lives.

Well, I've had a similar thing happen to me - in fact, it has happened three times and involved my younger brothers and sisters.

The first event occurred when I was around eight years old. Back in those days when the world was a lot safer place to live, elementary students were allowed to leave campus and to go home for lunch. Since I lived pretty close to school, I'd quickly walk home every day - snowsuit, rubber boots, and heavy coat to boot. Nebraska winters were pretty darn cold and snowy while we lived there in the 1960's.

I had quickly wolfed down my peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a tall glass of milk while sitting at the kitchen table and then figured I'd better get headin' back to school. I remember clearly walking through the formal dining room and then putting on my coat as I passed through the living room on my way out the front door. I distinctly remember hearing a "snapping" sound coming from the dining room, but I had no idea what it was and if I would have stuck around to figure it out, I would have been late for school. I closed the big wooden front door and just as I started to leave the porch - I heard a voice inside my head, the same voice that sounded like me conscious - tell me to go back into the house.

It was an order, not a request.

I quickly turned and re-entered the house, this whole event not taking more than a few seconds mind you. As I entered the house I could still hear the "snap, snap, snap" sound coming from the dining room so I hurriedly headed for that direction. I remember looking around the room and then suddenly realizing that the sound was coming from under the dining room table, which instead of sitting in the middle of the room as most dining room tables were normally arranged, had been pushed against one of the walls.

Can you imagine my distress when I spotted my one and half year old sister Tammy clinging to a hair pin that she had inserted into an electrical outlet?

She was being electrocuted!

I immediately grabbed the dining room table, dragged it out away from the wall, ran around the table and then swiftly and firmly kicked her away from the outlet. If I would have grabbed her I probably would have been killed. My rubber boots saved both our lives and I really don't know that I knew at the time that rubber was an insulator from electricity.

God's hand was in that event and that I will never deny.

"Sissy" was fine, shaken up pretty bad and she was left with a burned imprint of the hair pin on her hand temporarily, but other than that she was fine.

I had to take a note back to school with me that day because I was late returning from lunch. My mother explained to my teacher what had happened, I remember the expression on his face very clearly - he didn't believe what the note said but never said a word about it.