Just 10 minutes to live…

Just10minutes

Just 10 minutes to live…

By Rita Davidson

 

It all started with the ham. Let me explain…

I had cut up the ham, slices all ready to fry in the cast iron pan. Setting the pan on high on our donated stove, I waited for it to warm. As I stir the ham around, the smell drifts up to my nose, and in a instant I am transported.

It’s, July  20th, 2013, the first morning after our fire. We are sitting at an old, picky, grey picnic table with our breakfast of take-out scrambled eggs, potatoes, and fried ham.  It’s in those Styrofoam containers that the owners had offered to make for us.  We are all holding down our thin, paper plates that are attempting to blow away in the wind. We are sitting in the open area of the campsite where the food is cooked and the wind blows constantly. Our clothes are disheveled from a fitful sleep; first time in the trailer, we had just moved into the campsite. I hadn’t even looked at a mirror.

The smell of smoke hung in our noses. Everyone is extra quiet, and interestingly, not that hungry. I look at the faces beside and across the table from me and my throat can’t keep from welling up. Our boys waiting blankly for their breakfast, all still in shock, living in this surreal world we have been violently, thrown into. My heart aches for all they don’t understand and how much they have lost. I look at Mark and he looks at me, and without words, we share each other’s pain and knowing with half hearted smiles.

I take the first bite of ham, and my stomach instantly lurches. The charred bit of ham puts the smell fire in my nose and mouth again, so fresh, so strong it nauseated my stomach. I had to wait for it to settle.

It’s funny we’ve eaten ham since then…but on this June day this week, nearly a year to the date of our fire, smells seem to be reminding us more of that fateful day July 2013 when we woke up and lost everything, nearly our lives.

There is nothing more humbling than to know that you were just 10 minutes away from leaving this world. Just 10 minutes later, our lives would have been gone. This 10 minutes difference is the difference between life and death. This 10 minutes difference is God.

When we get scared and upset, how close we came, the only solace is those 10 minutes that bring us back to sanity. Our brain forces us through the questions:

If God would have woken us up sooner, we may have been able to take some things out with us? We might have been able to grab a few things? We might have been able to put out the fire, and save our home? If we had just a few more minutes…

But it was those 10 minutes that made all the difference. When we get scared we remember it was those 10 minutes that made it so miraculous. It is those 10 minutes that makes us realize that even though God will walk us to the brink of destruction, it is HE that is watching us. It is HE that fully intends to bring us back ‘just in time’. Those 10 minutes were, ‘just the time needed’ for us to feel the comfort of His grace. We could just “FEEL” Him.

When your life seems darker than you can bear, remember He is there. His grace is sufficient and He WILL bring you through it, just like He did us, in a miraculous 10 minutes.

It all started with the ham.  And it’s the ham that brings me back. And I thank God for all He has taken away, for giving us those 10 minutes to LIVE.

TRUST HIM to save you too.

With love,

Rita Xo 🙂

 

An excerpt from the upcoming book by Rita, “Breadcrumbs from God…”

 

©Copyright 2014  Rita Davidson    All Rights Reserved.

IMG_0905Rita is a Catholic wife, and mother of seven, with three autistic boys. Currently a writer, & published author, she is a former hairdresser, professional make up artist with a degree in Natural Health. She is now a Young Living Distributor. After overcoming a stroke, disabilities, and more, they recently lost everything in a devastating house fire that made them homeless for six months. She is determined to lead souls back to Christ by carrying their crosses with Joy!

 

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