A God Moment

Last week I had what I have heard called a "God Moment". A "God Moment" is a time when God works in a way that you realize something is just not a coincidence but a direct result of God working in your life. It all started at work one day last week when I was looking over my retirement readout with another fellow boilermaker. He was helping me figure out all the fine print in the papers. After we finished that it started to sink in that I would probably not be getting a big enough pension to be able to retire in November when I turn 55. As I examined the numbers I realized if I would have stayed boilermaking in 1982 instead of going to Calgary to Pastor a church I would probably have had enough hours and money in my pension to retire this year. Then I started wondering if I done the right thing back then.
A few moments later while checking my email on my phone, my Pastor told me someone had written him an email asking if I was the same Mike Garner who pastored in Calgary in the early 1980's. Pastor forwarded me the email and I contacted Ernie Callow. Ernie did a search on the web to see if he could find me because he wanted to thank me for something. That something was my part of the memorial service for his then 6 year old son Pat. Pat and I had cancer at the same time in 1982. We both lost all of our hair from our treatments and we would talk about that and other things during times at church on Sundays. I remember well Pat's spirit during that time and I never heard him once complain or ask "why me?". He just took what came his way and did the best he could with it. In the fall of 1983 Pat went home to be with the Lord. That same year my cancer went away and has never returned. Why did God heal me and take little Pat at such a young age? I still do not have the answer to that question to this day. I do know it was not because I was more deserving than little Patrick. I also know that little Patrick's life and death were and still are an inspiration to me and I am thankful that God allowed our life paths to cross.
Then came the "God Moment". I realized if I had stayed in Michigan longer in 1982 I would have missed this experience and many more important ones as well. God's timing is perfect. After 25 years God used Ernie to find me, thank me, encourage me, and confirm to me that I made the right decision in 1982. I may not be able to retire this year but that is O.K. I know I made the right decision then and I look forward to boilermaking a few more years if that is what the Lord has for me! Thank you Ernie and Thank you God.