On the evening of November 14, 1970, the plane carrying members of the Marshall University football team crashed just before landing in Huntington West Virginia. This tragedy took the lives of 37 football players, 25 boosters, 5 coaches, 2 athletic trainers, the athletic director and 5 members of the flight crew. When assistant coach William Dawson played by Matthew Fox switches places with another coach to drive home from East Carolina to recruit future players, he is filled with a sense of guilt. Instead of reflecting upon why he was alive, Coach Dawson struggled to cope with this ordeal. This event inspired the 2006 film We Are Marshall.
It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure, Psalm 18:32.
If a cat has 9 lives, some people has escaped death multiple times throughout this life. Some circumstances are less obvious like losing your keys momentarily before passing a fatal car accident that you may have been part of and killed. On September 11th, 2001, documentaries have revealed individuals who didn’t go to work at the World Trade Center that day or cancelled their flight last second due to a sudden emergency. When I was in college, I was part of a head on collision where my car was pushed backwards 25 feet or so after contact. If it wasn’t for my God given quick reflexes, my friend and I may have died before graduating from college. Thus, I am forced to ponder, you survived for a reason.
You provide a broad path for my feet, so that my ankles do not give way, Psalm 18:36.
Perhaps, the Lord knew that I would forego a career as a golf course architect to become a youth pastor, high school Bible teacher and inspirational writer. I know that I have ignored, missed or skipped over other callings, but there is one reason why God has kept me alive, to highlight meaningful truths from the Bible. The passage above doesn’t reveal much unless you have run cross country or trained for long distance races. Twisting your ankle is easy to do when terrain is uneven, holes are hidden or the ground gives way. Yet, David, a shepherd wearing the equivalent of cheap scandals all day covering various topographies, trusted God to protect his ankles and feet from harm. The more Christians begin to read, reflect upon and starting claiming God’s promises within your own life, the Holy Spirit will help you understand why you are still here on earth.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 