So this was just coincidence?
I think the mom on Southwest Flight 842 might disagree
So it’s been awhile. We had a great family vacation last week, but it really is good to be back home and getting back into the groove of a normal routine. Still, before I completely resign the last several days to memory, I have to tell you about what is still lingering in my mind.
You can believe in coincidence if you want to. I know a lot of people do. A lot of people – even Christians – believe that life is a series of unpredictable events that every so often line up in a certain way where the inexplicable takes place. No reason for it other than blind chance.
I’ve never questioned why those who doubt or deny the existence of God hold to this belief. It’s the only logical end to a beginning that says our entire universe is the product of chance. If the origin of all things is random and without meaning, there would be no reason to think that would ever change.
Pop culture’s favorite atheist Richard Dawkins wrote it himself:
“The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference.”
But for Christians who understand we live in a universe of design, purpose, and meaning, belief in coincidence has always confused me. God either exercises sovereignty and rules over the affairs of man or He doesn’t. He may be silent in circumstances, but those moments aren’t a sign of His indifference or lack of involvement. They are a sign of His providence and eternal wisdom that exists well beyond the comprehension of man.
So why do I bring all this up?
Tuesday evening we arrived at the Orlando airport to fly home plenty early. Early enough to be there when they announced our plane would be delayed at least 45 minutes. We were exhausted, had just been through the hassle of TSA with 3 kids who don’t always follow instructions perfectly, and were well aware that our “delay” very well could turn into the kind of cancellations that have plagued Spring Break travelers around the United States for the past week.
At about 9:45 pm, they started letting the first groups begin boarding. Since my son Grayson can no longer pass as being a 6-year-old, we don’t qualify for early family boarding, so we waited. And waited. And waited. Ours was the last group to head down the jetway for the plane. About a minute away from stepping aboard, suddenly three flight attendants rushed towards us telling us to back up and get out of the way.
From their panicked mannerisms, my first thought was that there was a fire on board. Once we were backed up the jetway, the lead flight attendant informed us that there was a medical emergency and that a team of paramedics would be on the way. She explained that a young mother had been trying to push her way down the plane aisle with three young kids and two carry-on suitcases in tow – all while holding on to her infant baby girl. In the course of wrestling with it all, the baby had slipped from her grip and as the mom tried to grab her, tipped the child vertical. The infant landed with a thud directly on her head.
A flight attendant rushed over to help, and as they lifted the baby up, her little eyes rolled back into her head, shut, and her body went limp. They placed the infant on the floor of the plane and tried unsuccessfully to find a pulse.
Hearing that, a flood of emotions came over me. I felt a surge of compassion and fear for this young family, and also a healthy portion of guilt for my frustrations that I’d been feeling for such pitiful reasons just moments before. There I had been, worrying about getting home at 2:30 am, about finding seats together on the airplane, about whether my kids would let me get any work done on the plane or annoy me with constant questions. How remarkably petty that all seemed in comparison to what this poor mom was experiencing.
It was yet another reminder that it’s always a better approach for us to count our blessings than dwell on the annoyances and frustrations of life.
But let me tell you why I mentioned coincidences. That baby was without a pulse and laying on the floor of an aircraft, paramedics at least 7 minutes from arrival. But it just so happened that seated within about 20 feet of where this terrible accident had occurred, were two cardiologists and one pediatrician. The captain didn’t even have time to ask if there were any doctors on board before these three men were at the infant’s side – two who specialized in keeping hearts beating, and one a professional in pediatric care.
The three men revived the infant, and when she began to cry, a round of applause erupted from the plane. Paramedics arrived minutes later and escorted them all off the plane and onto a waiting ambulance to be taken to the hospital. The baby girl left that flight exactly as she had boarded it – alert and in her mother’s arms.
I suppose it might make sense to some to breathe a sigh of relief that “blind, pitiless indifference” just happen to place 3 medical professionals on that mother’s flight last Tuesday. To me, I find more sense in the words of the Psalmist:
Psalm 121
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.
ICYMI…
Right before we left on vacation, I preached a message that ties in with the very topic of this Memo. I suppose that’s coincidence too. You can watch it right here:
I also wrote these columns you might want to check out:
Perhaps we mere humans use the word "coincidence" because God's involvement would seem far too difficult to accept and or understand. As with you, I have observed what I labeled "coincidence" when after a time of reflection, the "coincidence" was more than likely an "incident" of God's involvement. At that moment, a humble and thankful appreciation of my loving, creator God is magnified!
God works in funny ways..beyond our understanding. I am a physician, and there have been times in my life(I could share if you would want) where for no reason I was there, and it saved a life. Or resulted in good in other ways. thank you for sharing.