However, this is a tale to tell you about the day I
started believing in God again. I lost my faith due to a bad church seeking their money from me at age 14! It's not the best way of keeping someone interested in church when you're being told you are a bad Christian because you didn't pay. I said to hell with church and all that stuff.
I didn't have any faith to speak of again until I was 25 years old. I was overseas in Iraq down in a place called Al Hillah. We were assisting the Polish and Hungarians to establish their operations and start conducting their own combat operations independent of US assistance. Those of us that were there will all remember September 23, 2003. That night I was about to leave the command cell to go to my tent. It was about 9pm when we heard a muffled 'whoomp' sound. Then another. My friend said, "that sounds like mortar fire." And to our horror he was right!
I don't remember if anyone actually said "incoming," but we all knew what was happening. The next two explosions were much closer. Its like hearing a short burst of thunder right over your head. I got to the tent flap and held it open for every last Soldier in there. As I got out, the sky went orange. Not good!! I got to a bunker and then silence. A calmness came over the area as the Mongolian security element went out to find the shooters (yes, Mongolians). What they found was the mortar tube and approximately 20 more rounds to shoot. The shooters were bracketing us and they would have gotten the drop on us had the sixth round not gotten stuck in the tube. And that stuck round brings me to my point.
You tell me what happened. Was that a cleaning or mechanical failure? Was it a terrorist training faux pas? Or, was that divine intervention? Needless to say, I have never questioned again whether or not there is a God. In my heart I know there is. He protected us that night. I feel there are just way too many good people out there that have lost their will to believe. I was one of them. What do you think? Are you one of those that got lost? Its amazing what small caliber artillery can fix in your spiritual life.
1 comment:
Applying Occam's Razor to the situation, most folks would go with "mechanical failure" before the leap to "diving intervention."
Were any humans harmed or killed during this event?
If so, you must further acknowledge that you and those protected are divinely special and must now prove to your all mighty that s/he was just in sparing you.
I commend you and all those who put themselves in harm's way to protect and defend me. Thankfully, I've never been shot at.
I did survive a horrible self-induced car wreck, and then wondered why I'd been "spared." The answer at which I arrived years later is that there was no reason. It is no less ugly or beautiful than the notion of a loving, intervening deity, but it certainly makes more sense.
Attributing the outcome of that night to a god leads us down a slippery slope that I greatly fear.
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