Another hundred feet and we would be to the top! My calf had been cramping since our first break nearly an hour and a half before, so I welcomed the thought that we would soon reach the ridge and be able to rest.
Hand over hand; I carefully made my way up the side of the mountain. As Jazmin, Megan, and Zach disappeared into a fold above me, I continued to struggle along. As I reached for the rock above me and pulled myself up over it, I heard a rock break loose above me.
A shrill shout of panic startled me out of my thoughts.
“Megan! Megan! Watch out! Megan! Oh my gosh, Megan!”
I looked up to see a giant boulder careening down the side of the mountain above me. As Jazmin screamed, I began to pray. As the boulder rolled, it suddenly split in two and continued downward toward me. I shuffled to my right and jumped into the cactus to make sure that I was completely out of the way.
As the dust settled and the rocks stopped moving, I looked back up to where the other three had disappeared. Silence. The cramps in my legs left and I began to run up the side of the mountain praying all the way that Megan was all right.
Making my way over a large rock, my heart sank as I caught sight of my squad-mates.
“Jesus, please don’t let anything be broken.”
Megan was sitting there, blood gushing out of her leg, as Zach bandaged her up and Jazmin attempted to make her way down to the scene. It looked bad. We were two hours up, it was nearing the hottest time of day, and we had to make our way down the most treacherous part of the mountain.
We discussed what to do and decided that Megan and I would make our way down as quickly as possible and Zach and Jaz would follow at a safer pace. I could see the severity of the wound as it began to bleed through the bandage wrapped around it. We had to get down quickly.
Megan went ahead of me and I did my best to keep up with her, but as I sprinted, slid, and tripped down the mountain, I found her pulling away from me. When I finally did catch up, I found her laying on a rock at the bottom. We had made it.
When we got back to the camp we were staying at and began to clean out the wound, the chaos of what had just happened hit me.
When the rock was rolling down the hill, it broke in half just before getting to Megan. Had that not have happened, her leg would have surely been crushed or even worse, she could have not had time to get out of the way at all.
God saved her life. He broke that boulder in half, pushed her out of the way, and then carried her down that mountain.
Megan ended up getting stitches, (which she got out today) and is healing well!
Why do I tell you this story? First, because it’s a miracle; and second because I believe there’s a crucial lesson to learn.
So many times in my own life I find myself in the same situation. Sure death and destruction are hurling toward me and God moves me out of the way. He knows what I can and cannot handle. He breaks and takes what the enemy has meant to be destructive, and uses it for His glory. He carries me to safety. And while scars will always remain from those hard places, God stitches me up and heals me. Those scars don’t define me, but they remind me – they remind me of my brokenness and of God’s faithfulness. They remind me of where I’ve been. And they remind me of the scars that He bears on my behalf.
“But He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:3
Happy Easter Everyone!
