How often do you consider things that happen in your daily life as “random” or “coincidence?” God has been routinely showing me lately that nothing is by chance.
Allow me to explain; some of you know my son is in the Air Force and recently moved to off base housing. We have been gathering things for his new apartment to get him set up- pots and pans, dishes and such.
My mom wanted to give him a set of cookware, and each of the last 5 times I was there I “forgot” to take it home. I was groaning about this yesterday because I had been over there the previous day, and even right in the basement kitchen where they are stored!
Today we stopped over to get those pots and pans after church, intending only to stay for a few minutes. When we arrived, my mom was quite out of breath. She has advanced emphysema and is totally dependent on receiving full time oxygen through a tube she wears into her nose. I noticed that her lips were even a little blue in color. When I checked the amount of oxygen saturation with a special meter we have I was alarmed to see it was very low.
I prayed for wisdom, and asked God to help me to know what to do in this case. Calling 911 was really not an option, because of prior arrangements she has made for end of life. My brain was screaming “This is it! I am going to lose my mom today.” I remember thinking that it is such a nice and sunny day, and that I hadn’t even planned to be there today! I thought that it was a good thing we stopped by, because my dad did not really understand that there was something very wrong.
I checked the equipment, the tubing, everything I could think of, and even bypassed the tube directly into the machine that gives her the air. Nothing was making any difference. The oddest thing was that she was not wheezing, or coughing or appearing to be ill with something else. When I called the doctor, he didn’t know what to tell me either! Over the next several hours I kept her as quiet as I could while making calls to my siblings, and text messaging my children getting ideas about what to try next, but nothing helped. In fact, over those few hours her oxygen saturation was down to about 61 (normal for her now is 98). She was sleepy and cold.
My oldest son who works in medical services called to suggest I put a full face oxygen mask on her to see if that would help. Before I put it on her, I tested it myself to be sure I put it together right. I discovered there was no air flowing into the mask, that the oxygen concentrator was not giving her any help breathing. No air at all. Although it was running, and had all the appearances of doing its job, it was not.
When I hooked her up to a portable oxygen tank (just brought in for emergencies) her levels went way up to her normal range, and the crisis was over. Later, when I spoke to the woman who monitors the equipment, I learned that the machine was working just fine; it was the water bottle we attach to it that had been ever so slightly out of line that caused her not to get the oxygen the machine was pumping. A misaligned screw on lid could have taken her life away…
But once again, God reminded me as He did in October when we almost lost her that HE IS IN CHARGE. He knows exactly when her last breath will be and nothing, nothing will change that moment. It won’t be deterred or hastened by anything we do or don’t do.
God was orchestrating each event in this series. My forgetting the kettles the other days, my son even needing them in the first place, my other son’s job in medical supervision, all were divinely and providentially set in motion by our loving and wonderful God. Nothing happened by chance. And while you and I are not automatons we are certainly servants to a mighty and omnipotent God and we exist to do His bidding.
Please, please do not think that you hold sway over your own destiny. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ He owns your very life for He paid your ransom and has made you free. If you are not a believer today, I urge you to consider Jesus. One day you will be taking your last breath and after that there is no going back, no second chances.
From my point of view, my wonderful mom got an extension on her life, but on God’s calendar- her day was not today. I am sure when she does arrive there she will wish it really had been today.
Until tomorrow, unless He comes.