Vince Deagler

have you ever had one of those days?  most of us have.  last friday was one for me.  let me tell you what happened.  it had been a good week, i had gotten everything i needed to do for the week done, and i had plans to go fishing that afternoon with one of the elders in our church.  seemed like the start of a great weekend.  i have been fishing with bill many other times, i was familiar with the area we would fish, seemed like everything was falling in place.  and it was, right up to when it all went sideways.

we were on the water around 3 pm, had been fishing for awhile, and were heading to a new spot.  bill had just opened it up (150 hp engine) when all of a sudden i noticed we had swerved hard to the right, bill flew across the boat behind me to the left, and we were headed for the levee which was only a few feet in front of us.  we hit the rocks, the boat went airborne, we landed completely out of the water at the top of the levee, i had smacked into the side of the boat hard and now have some busted up ribs, bill was ok, but his boat was a mess.  i am not sure what happened.  we have since concluded either we hit something in the water that caused us to swerve, or something in the steering mechanism of the boat malfunctioned.  it happened so fast and unexpectedly, i’m not sure.  the end result is the same.

but this is where i think god showed up.  there are many places in the delta where if this would have happened, we would have spent the night out in the middle of no where.  the boat could have easily flipped over causing very serious injuries to both of us.  we could have easily been thrown from the boat and drowned.  my point is, it could have been so much worse than what it was.  now it would be easy to say, if god is so good, why did he let this happen at all?  that is a worthy question, but the answer when simplified is easy.  basically, back in the garden of eden mankind had a choice.  we could live with god in the garden where everything we could want or need was available.  things like this accident would never have occurred in the garden, at least as i see it.  or, we could be like god, reject his rule, do our own thing, which means living outside the garden, where we now live, and where all kinds of evil is experienced regularly.  not because god wanted us to experience evil, but because we chose to live outside the garden.  this accident on friday affirms to me exactly what god’s word says.  in the midst of living in a fallen/broken world, where evil is the norm, god’s goodness and mercy followed me and bill on that fishing trip.  where we could have been stranded, seriously injured, even killed, god showed up, and protected us.  my ribs are already feeling much better, bill had boat insurance.  his boat will be replaced or repaired.  my ribs will heal.  we will fish again…maybe haha.  but what will never be lost is the realization that in the midst of difficult circumstances, painful moments, unexpected problems god is there, and he does some of his best work in those kind of moments.  that is something bill and i can hang on to for the rest of our lives.  god is everywhere, all the time.  and he really is good, i know because i have experienced that goodness time and time again. 

so, if you’re having one of those days, weeks, months, even years, i hope you find god showing up in your world as i did last friday.  it was a great adventure, and the lesson that came out of it, priceless.  thanks for reading, let me know if i can help you with anything.  peace.  vince