I remember when I first graduated college. I was already
married with a baby son. I had an education degree but full time teaching jobs
where I lived were scarce. For a few years then I did my best to make ends meet
by substituting as much as possible. I would get up early each morning and hope
for the phone to ring. A call meant work and every penny counted. On one
particularly cold morning I got a call to work at a grade school 15 miles away.
Only a light snow coated the roads so I wasn’t worried about the trip. What I
didn’t realize, though, was that water from the previous day’s rain had frozen
on a patch of the road before the snow covered it. This was on a part of the
road that curved around the edge of a mountain. Going off on one side of the
road would land you in a ditch but going off the other could send you over the
side of the mountain.
As I approached the dangerous spot I was going faster than I should. I wanted to
make it to the school before the classes started. Just before I reached it,
however, I saw a dog walking in my lane of the road. I braked early to avoid
hitting the pooch and then was about to speed up again when I hit the black ice.
Thankfully, the angel with paws had made me slow down enough that I was able to
steer the car back towards the ditch and away from the edge of the mountain
curve. I only needed a tow instead of a trip to the hospital or mortuary. I
guess God wasn’t quite ready for me to leave this life yet.
Albert Einstein said, "God doesn’t play dice." This is true for the world and
for our lives. As I look back upon that day I can see God’s loving handiwork in
it. I think He still had more for me to learn and do in this life. I just pray
that I don’t waste a moment of it. I pray that I make everyday I have left a
loving gift to my Heavenly Father who made me. May you do the same.
Joseph J. Mazzella joecool@wirefire.com
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.