It’s not very often that three minutes can change a person’s life. Not a lot can happen in three minutes. 180 seconds can tick by without notice. The most significant events in our lives usually take longer. Rarely do I look back at three minutes and consider them mind-blowing.
The last time it happened, Beth and I were sitting in a doctor’s office. Two married kids in love with God, life and each other. Spending the last two minutes laughing about events that happened the day before. In the third minute, Dr. Weber walked in.
Cancer.
Never has three minutes been so powerful. So painful. So scary. A lot can happen in three minutes.
This morning, I experienced another three minutes that I will not soon forget.
The first minute. Sitting on the edge of my bed, I read John 17:21
I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.
The second minute. I wrestled with this impossible prayer of the Savior. Has Jesus lost His mind? How can sinners be unified? Even if we can find common ground, is it possible for us to experience the kind of unity that Jesus shares with His Heavenly Father? The answer is simple. No. We cannot. Not without complete and utter surrender to Him. He has to be the glue that holds us together. If we want to know true unity, God has to be our Lord.
The third minute. On my nightstand sit two pictures of our family on vacation. As I looked at our happy and smiling faces, images of four people who had no idea the loss they would experience a year later, I prayed:
God. If there is any way our family can be whole again. If we are going to be completely healthy and happy, filled with joy like we were standing on the beach that summer; we have to depend on You. I put my life and the lives of my children in your hands.
I closed my Bible and sat on the edge of my bed.
God spoke.
In the silence of the third minute, I could hear my beautiful son humming a song. A song that has meant a great deal to me over the past few months:
“You make beautiful things, you make beautiful things out of dust.
You make beautiful things, you make beautiful things out of us.”
With my jaw dropped, I walked around the corner to see him alone in the kitchen, eating his bowl of cereal. For a couple of seconds, all I could do was stand there and listen to the God of the universe sing to me through my boy. He was unaware that I was watching him when I broke in,
“Brian?”
“Hey, Dad!”
“What are you singing?”
(Sheepishly) “Nothing.”
“No, seriously. Do you know what are you singing?”
“I don’t know. That song you really like. It just popped into my head.”
He had no idea that he was used by God to speak healing to me. Innocent and oblivious to my current pain, he was simply in his own little world humming a song he hears from time to time. A song we sang in church weeks ago. I hugged him.
“I love you, son.”
“I love you too, Dad.”
Three minutes can change your life. God can speak healing into your life in a way that will not be soon forgotten.
Seriously, how much does our God rock? Not only did God decide it was the time to comfort and reinforce you, He decided to do it through something you and Beth created.
TOP THAT SPEILBERG!
Tears. Tears of awe. Tears of thankfulness. Tears of joy – for you, Brian, Emily – but most of all for Beth.
You are awesome and inspiring to so many. Thank you for allowing us in your life. God uses your family in amazing ways each day.
Just beautiful Dave. Makes my heart warm.
I have had several conversations with Beth and she reminded me, “God is good!”. Whether in person or by text she would remind me of this often. I read this and thought…”God is good!”. I’m so glad He is! Wow!
Prayers continue for healing and comfort from our Father.
The Tackett’s love you all