This Is Going To Hurt!
“This is going to hurt!” – was my first thought. I distinctly remember that. It shot through my brain in a split second. It was so fast that I can’t remember seeing anything… really… except the ladder and the cement that came within inches of my face. Actually the first thought was “OH NO not now… I haven’t got time for this to happen!”
Whatever… the thought order was… I knew as I lay there that the next movements would determine if I continued the job that I was doing – or not.
A split second before I was about to climb down a wet ladder, just over the edge of a wet roof. I had placed my right foot on the second rung of the ladder and then brought the left foot to join the right one. I had a firm hold on the ladder. Everyone knows that you hang on when you are going down. Then it happened… a slow motion kind of movie scene. The ladder started to slip down. The bottom of the ladder on the slippery, wet cement was moving away from the house – and the top of the ladder with me on it was following slowly…but picking up speed rapidly as it left the roof’s edge. After the top end of the ladder with me on it cleared the edge of the roof – the decent was very quick. It was then that the thought I mentioned earlier came - “This is going to hurt!” – in fact I said it out loud after I hit the ground… “This is really going to hurt!”
Thank God for the fact that you instantly go into shock when you get hurt. Things that should hurt desperately – don’t. The body is amazing in this way. There is little or no pain at all. There is a bit of numbness where the greatest blow happened. There is a tiny bit of indication that this is the place that you should be aware of NOW! But there is little or no pain.
What I have described is a scene of a 63 year old man(me) having fallen 8 feet through the air riding a ladder to the ground to break his fall. The intention to do this was not there at the beginning of this short trip moments earlier. The intention was to get this roof top task done before more rain came…and before the darkness came.
Alida, my wife, came running when she heard the ladder clamor against the cement. My friend Doug, who was on the roof with me, and scared stiff( he hates heights), came quickly to the edge of the roof to see what had happened. By the time they arrived at the scene to look in on me I was up and checking body parts by poking and prodding the possible injured points.
Thank God for shock… I was okay at that moment. Nothing I could see or feel was broken. The limbs and my back were working okay. I could move both legs as I walked a short distance in the yard. The knees worked slowly up and down. The neck was okay as well. Both arms and hands were in tact. I could reach down to touch my left knee. Slowly the numbness was coming away from the left knee and a wee bit of pain was seeping through to my numb brain. “This is going to hurt a little tomorrow…” was my first statement to Alida, as she asked if I was okay.
At the moment of writing this, it is early “tomorrow” – and it does hurt a little. But not what I thought it would. Puffy and stiff – but moving okay. A wee bit of swelling but not broken (that I know of…).
I thank God today for his protection and the ‘break fall’ that he provided along the journey downwards. My head had been toward the house and the edge of the roof at the start of the journey downwards – and then ended completely away from the house facing the yard. I had done a 180 degree flip in that 8 foot journey. I don’t know how it happened – or the details… but I have the distinct sense now that an angel, that was much bigger than me, swooped in to flip me over the other way.
The landing made lots of noise – but my glasses never even came off. I was okay.
Early this morning a scripture verse came to my mind as I was waking up. This scripture verse comes from the Psalms 91:9-12… it says… “If you make the Most High your dwelling-- even the LORD, who is my refuge--then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. (NIV)
There is some comedy mixed with deeper truth in all that happens to me… most of you that read this Blog will know that by now. I just read these words over again. I didn’t strike my foot against a stone – just like it promised. I hit my left knee on the edge to the flower garden that helped break the fall completely.
The serious and deeply moving part for me personally is the first part of the promise. “If you make the Most High your dwelling --- even the LORD….” I have made the LORD my dwelling – I am tucked a way in under his great and powerful arms – or maybe in his shadow… and he looks after me…all the time.
Yesterday as we drove along the busiest highway in Canada – the 401 – moving easily with the flow of traffic, we sailed through the city of Toronto without one slow down at all. Thousands upon thousands of cars and trucks sped along with us. Huge trucks changed lanes with ease at over 120 kms per hour(70 miles per hour) I was traveling at a steady 110 kph (65 miles per hour) and they were passing me – left and right. At one point I was in a tunnel of high moving steel and rubber with two semi-trailers on one side and two on the other. The entire trip took over 2 hours and 30 minutes one way. Add to this there was thousands upon thousands of vehicles coming at us in the other direction on the other side of this busy highway.
Today I am aware that the same angel that broke my fall – was likely flying with ease above our car for over two hours. After we arrived he stood and waited for me in the back yard – right near the ladder. Then the rest of it all happened.
The completion of the story is simple. My friend Doug, who is a little older than me, was able to get his two feet over the top of the ladder and got to the ground un-phased. We stayed on the roof for another hour after my fall, worked well together and getting the task done.
Before I finish this short description of God’s intervention and my thankfulness for his help… I have to pray this prayer…
God, thank you so much for the angel’s care yesterday. I recognize your help and protection. I know where I made the mistake yesterday too. I forgot to check the ladder’s stability first. That won’t happen again…I promise. When we tried the first ladder and that one rung broke in the middle – I had a sense that I needed to check the other one too. But in my hurry to get done – I kind of blew it. Forgive me…for the hurry. Lord I want to thank you too – for my limbs and all of me is working pretty good today. You were there when I so desperately needed you. I thank you again.
And God… as you know I have to go back up the roof again today. I need the angel one more time if you can spare him. It won’t take long and I will be careful. I promise. Alida told me she would come and hold the ladder when I go up… but the angel’s help would be good too – just one more time. Thanks a million! - I ask it in your name….Amen.
~ Pastor Murray Lincoln ~
Whatever… the thought order was… I knew as I lay there that the next movements would determine if I continued the job that I was doing – or not.
A split second before I was about to climb down a wet ladder, just over the edge of a wet roof. I had placed my right foot on the second rung of the ladder and then brought the left foot to join the right one. I had a firm hold on the ladder. Everyone knows that you hang on when you are going down. Then it happened… a slow motion kind of movie scene. The ladder started to slip down. The bottom of the ladder on the slippery, wet cement was moving away from the house – and the top of the ladder with me on it was following slowly…but picking up speed rapidly as it left the roof’s edge. After the top end of the ladder with me on it cleared the edge of the roof – the decent was very quick. It was then that the thought I mentioned earlier came - “This is going to hurt!” – in fact I said it out loud after I hit the ground… “This is really going to hurt!”
Thank God for the fact that you instantly go into shock when you get hurt. Things that should hurt desperately – don’t. The body is amazing in this way. There is little or no pain at all. There is a bit of numbness where the greatest blow happened. There is a tiny bit of indication that this is the place that you should be aware of NOW! But there is little or no pain.
What I have described is a scene of a 63 year old man(me) having fallen 8 feet through the air riding a ladder to the ground to break his fall. The intention to do this was not there at the beginning of this short trip moments earlier. The intention was to get this roof top task done before more rain came…and before the darkness came.
Alida, my wife, came running when she heard the ladder clamor against the cement. My friend Doug, who was on the roof with me, and scared stiff( he hates heights), came quickly to the edge of the roof to see what had happened. By the time they arrived at the scene to look in on me I was up and checking body parts by poking and prodding the possible injured points.
Thank God for shock… I was okay at that moment. Nothing I could see or feel was broken. The limbs and my back were working okay. I could move both legs as I walked a short distance in the yard. The knees worked slowly up and down. The neck was okay as well. Both arms and hands were in tact. I could reach down to touch my left knee. Slowly the numbness was coming away from the left knee and a wee bit of pain was seeping through to my numb brain. “This is going to hurt a little tomorrow…” was my first statement to Alida, as she asked if I was okay.
At the moment of writing this, it is early “tomorrow” – and it does hurt a little. But not what I thought it would. Puffy and stiff – but moving okay. A wee bit of swelling but not broken (that I know of…).
I thank God today for his protection and the ‘break fall’ that he provided along the journey downwards. My head had been toward the house and the edge of the roof at the start of the journey downwards – and then ended completely away from the house facing the yard. I had done a 180 degree flip in that 8 foot journey. I don’t know how it happened – or the details… but I have the distinct sense now that an angel, that was much bigger than me, swooped in to flip me over the other way.
The landing made lots of noise – but my glasses never even came off. I was okay.
Early this morning a scripture verse came to my mind as I was waking up. This scripture verse comes from the Psalms 91:9-12… it says… “If you make the Most High your dwelling-- even the LORD, who is my refuge--then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. (NIV)
There is some comedy mixed with deeper truth in all that happens to me… most of you that read this Blog will know that by now. I just read these words over again. I didn’t strike my foot against a stone – just like it promised. I hit my left knee on the edge to the flower garden that helped break the fall completely.
The serious and deeply moving part for me personally is the first part of the promise. “If you make the Most High your dwelling --- even the LORD….” I have made the LORD my dwelling – I am tucked a way in under his great and powerful arms – or maybe in his shadow… and he looks after me…all the time.
Yesterday as we drove along the busiest highway in Canada – the 401 – moving easily with the flow of traffic, we sailed through the city of Toronto without one slow down at all. Thousands upon thousands of cars and trucks sped along with us. Huge trucks changed lanes with ease at over 120 kms per hour(70 miles per hour) I was traveling at a steady 110 kph (65 miles per hour) and they were passing me – left and right. At one point I was in a tunnel of high moving steel and rubber with two semi-trailers on one side and two on the other. The entire trip took over 2 hours and 30 minutes one way. Add to this there was thousands upon thousands of vehicles coming at us in the other direction on the other side of this busy highway.
Today I am aware that the same angel that broke my fall – was likely flying with ease above our car for over two hours. After we arrived he stood and waited for me in the back yard – right near the ladder. Then the rest of it all happened.
The completion of the story is simple. My friend Doug, who is a little older than me, was able to get his two feet over the top of the ladder and got to the ground un-phased. We stayed on the roof for another hour after my fall, worked well together and getting the task done.
Before I finish this short description of God’s intervention and my thankfulness for his help… I have to pray this prayer…
God, thank you so much for the angel’s care yesterday. I recognize your help and protection. I know where I made the mistake yesterday too. I forgot to check the ladder’s stability first. That won’t happen again…I promise. When we tried the first ladder and that one rung broke in the middle – I had a sense that I needed to check the other one too. But in my hurry to get done – I kind of blew it. Forgive me…for the hurry. Lord I want to thank you too – for my limbs and all of me is working pretty good today. You were there when I so desperately needed you. I thank you again.
And God… as you know I have to go back up the roof again today. I need the angel one more time if you can spare him. It won’t take long and I will be careful. I promise. Alida told me she would come and hold the ladder when I go up… but the angel’s help would be good too – just one more time. Thanks a million! - I ask it in your name….Amen.
~ Pastor Murray Lincoln ~
posted by Murray Lincoln at
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
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