IS THERE A GOD?

It felt like the political posts might be getting a little too controversial so I thought I would write about something that everyone agrees on.

Yes. The first line was completely tongue in cheek because, unfortunately, this topic is also very contentious, in some cases more so than politics.

I would answer this question in the affirmative. I do not judge those who disagree, but I am afraid that on their last day God will judge them. That’s why I feel compelled to proclaim my belief and reasoning.

I went through 8 years of a Catholic education and became a slightly stronger than “luke warm” Christian. I went to mass. I went through the motions, but certainly did not have the burning belief of a saint.

I have overslept and raced to work, with no conceivable way I would make it on time. At those times I would pray for help and, at times, arrive before the mandated hour. I call these instances “minor miracles.” Not confirmed. Not enough to convince non-believers, but these incidents have strengthened my faith.

When my mother died we got together as a family a few days after the funeral and took special items that she had promised to us, or that we thought would remind us of her. It was a rainy humid midwestern day. The foyer window in my mothers building was fogged up from the humidity. One of my daughter’s called me to come quickly and she showed me a perfect image that looked, to us, like The Paraclete (The Holy Spirit appearing as a dove) in the fog on the window. We showed everyone. I felt it was a sign that my mother was in heaven. I have other stories similar to the one’s I have relayed. I have found that such stories tend to strengthen the believer’s faith and be found lacking by those who do not believe. This certainly enhanced my belief.

My strongest argument in favor of God’s existence, from my experience, came on a bitterly cold February night in 1996. The wind chill was well below 0. I was on my way to work in a small car that appeared, to some, to be shaped like a large lime green roller skate. The extreme cold had caused a large scale power failure. I was approaching a stop light (in complete darkness) at an intersection that was bounded on three sides by cornfields. The Southwest corner held a gas station that was also in complete darkness. I stopped at the darkened traffic signal (Treating it as a 4-way stop as is required by Illinois law). In front of me was a slight hill with a dip in the road on the other side of the intersection. Snow had blown across the barren cornfields and the drifts made it difficult for me to see where the center curb was. I was trying to make a left turn and crept along as I could not see the road, or any other cars. I was concentrating on locating the center curb to my left when I saw a light to my right. The light was from the headlights of a much larger Oldsmobile. I had no time to react. The Oldsmobile had come through the intersection without stopping. It was traveling approximately 50 mph and didn’t slow much as it tore through the front of my little car.

My seatbelt had been buckled, but the impact broke my car’s frame in half and released it. My car’s gas tank ruptured and poured gas all over me. I was now unconscious in the passenger seat. I had a thought. It was not a voice. The thought was, “If you choose to, you can die and go to heaven.” At the time I had this thought I felt a feeling of such a peace that I have never felt, before or after. I don’t have the words to describe it. Awesome falls well short. I thought about this offer. I was a father of six and my wife was 8 months pregnant with our seventh child. My realistic mind said to me that there was no way my wife could raise 7 children alone. My duty was to my family and I could not leave. As that thought entered my mind the feeling of peace left me. I was cold again. I was lying in the passenger seat, partially ejected out of the window I had broken with either my head or elbow, both were bleeding badly and required stitches.

As I returned to consciousness a man from outside of the window rubbed my shoulders while he was saying, “Hang in there. I see the ambulance coming. You’re going to be OK.”

I passed out again.

When I regained consciousness I was out of the car and paramedics were cutting my clothes off. I asked where that man who comforted me was and told them I did not want to leave until I had a chance to thank him.

The paramedics told me there were two girls in the car that hit me and there were no other cars in the area. they added that they could see our car lights from two miles away through the cornfields and nobody had left. I insisted they check with the girls in the other car and they confirmed we were the only two cars in the area and nobody had approached my car.

I broke bones above and below my protective vest, lower left leg, left knee cap, upper left leg, skull and I lost three teeth. I was placed on the Second Chance (Protective vest) saves list because the doctor, paramedics and I said I should not have survived. 

After the impact my chest forced the steering wheel up to the roof, a radio I planned to install and was keeping in the trunk/hatch area had flown forward and cut a patch of skin out of my head. My knee cap was broken into 8 pieces and it took the surgeon several hours to put it back together

I have no doubt that God does exist and that he is with us always.

If you do have doubts I ask you to pray about it, what have you got to lose?

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Please like, share and/or comment.