Bad Things Happen Fast…
How an explosion rocked my world this week
Four days ago, a sudden explosion rocked my world, literally, and I haven’t been the same since. Let me briefly tell you what happened.
I live downtown in a large city in North Texas, in a high-rise condominium building. We have a nice view of the entire downtown area from our unit.
Four days ago, at 3:30 pm, there was a large explosion at a hotel three blocks away from our building. My life permanently changed at that moment.
Apparently, there was a gas leak in a restaurant on the ground floor of the building, which resulted in a major explosion, and the first two floors of this twenty-story hotel were blown apart. Large pieces of the inside and exterior of the hotel were strewn all over the street and sidewalk in front of the building.
When I heard the explosion, I was in my condo, lacing up my walking shoes. Every day at 3:00, I go for a walk around downtown. I have a set route, which takes me directly through the site of the blast. The time that I walk by that hotel is right around 3:30 - the exact time of the explosion.
After lacing up my shoes, I quickly walked toward the site of the blast, but there was already a large police and fire department presence, and the three blocks in every direction around the hotel were sealed off by law enforcement.
I decided to head home and skip my walk that day, not being in the mood, actually feeling quite numb.
Then it hit me. My life could have ended on that street that day had I not been slow leaving the condo that afternoon.
Did I get lucky, or was it divine intervention?
I’m curious how you answered that question. My answer: I believe God was watching out for me and kept me off schedule that afternoon, which just doesn’t happen with me. He intentionally distracted me from leaving on time, which protected me from serious injury or death.
My outlook on life hasn’t been the same since the moment of the explosion. I realized, really realized, that our lives are very fragile, and they can end without warning any second.
Bad things happen fast. Whether it be receiving bad news from the doctor about your test results, being hit by a car running a red light, or being the victim of a hotel explosion — there are no guarantees that we’ll have another minute of earthly existence.
I’ve never appreciated life as much as I do at this moment. As the saying goes, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.”