God Protects for a Reason

God Protects for a Reason

"Because he loves me," says the Lord, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.”

Matthew 17:27 (NIV)

            Summer is coming and with it the increase in childhood accidents. As a nurse, I have seen first hand the damage that can occur when a child is in any kind of accident. As a mother, and now as a grandmother, I know how easily those accidents can occur. Since I can’t provide constant protection for those I love I often find myself asking God to do it for me. 

            Growing up the oldest of five children, I was often “put in charge” of watching over my little brothers and sister, and I usually took that job seriously. Ask any of my siblings, and they’ll tell you I still like to be bossy and want to be protective.

            But there was one day, when I was about eight years old, that I failed to do my job very well. I had been given the responsibility to watch over my three year old brother, Sam. I didn’t mind, he was a delightful little guy with his chubby cheeks, big blue eyes and red hair. Even at three, he had a charming personality and was easy going. He had a delightful deep belly laugh that made people love him, and laugh with him.

            It was a summer day; and like every other summer day we were outside playing.  We lived on a couple acres of land and had some chickens and a cow that Sam loved to visit. So, to make him happy, we made a trip to the chicken coop so he could look for eggs.

            But for some reason, after the egg hunt, this big sister got distracted and I soon realized that Sam was missing from under my watchful eye. He had been playing with us one minute, the next minute he was gone.

            I will never forget the fear I felt as I went screaming for my mother.

            We all began to search for Sam. Mom went to the hen house and sent me and my other brother to the barn. No Sam. Grandma was there, and searched the house. We all called his name, but there was no response.

            Then we heard the train whistle. The railroad tracks ran along the back edge of our property, and Sam, like most little kids, liked to watch the trains rush by. When we heard the whistle, we looked that way. There he was, sitting on the tracks.

            I think God must have given wings to my pregnant mother that day. She got to him before the train did. I remember crying, I don’t know if it was from the joy of him being safe or from the anguish I felt when I realized I had almost lost my little brother forever.

            I thought about that incident many times while I was growing up. It made an impact on my life, and I became one of those over-protective mothers.

            Today, though, as I look back on that day, I know God protected Sam for a reason. God had a plan for his life.

            As he grew, you could tell Sam was the thinker of the family. He was fascinated with everything and everyone he encountered. And he was a deeply spiritual person. It’s fascinating when you can see that in young children. Some are and some aren’t. He was.

            Then came those young adult years; they were difficult years for some of us. We sometimes become disillusioned and disappointed by how our lives are turning out. Sometimes it feels like we have no control over our future because of unwise decisions we make. It was like that for Sam and in his despair, he began to wander away from the Christian influence he had as a child. His faith waivered and he seemed to lose the natural joy he once had.

            He was responsible; he went to work and took care of his family, but he acted like he was just gong through the motions. He looked empty, and he told me he felt that way. Then he began to try to fill the vacant, God shaped hole in his life with self-destructive habits.

            One day when he was in his early forties, while driving home from his factory job in his old beat up truck, God spoke to Sam’s heart, (you don’t have to be in church for that to happen). He knew what he had to do. He had to go back to God. He knew that’s where he’d find the joy and peace he had lost.

            About five years later, I received a beautiful letter from him. It said, “Sis, God is calling, I must answer His call.”  My brother went back to school as an adult, and just when some men begin to think of retirement, he started to work for God. He became a pastor and is now telling others about the God who not only protects us, but can give us a life of joy.

            On that day when he was two and sat down on the railroad track, and during the years he wandered away from God, the One who created him had a plan for Sam’s life. And He gave protection so the plan could be fulfilled.

©2013 Brenda J. Young