Jesus, I'm coming

by Debi Irene Wahl
(Shoemakersville, PA)

My husband loved his Harley. From our first date in 1974 until a hot, steamy summer afternoon some forty years later, our favorite times were spent crusing on his Cruiser.

But in those passing years, the roads have become a dangerous playground for bikers, and in 2006 we met our first and last bully.

As we sat at a red light, I heard the terrifying sound of squealing brakes coming toward us from the rear. I could smell the rubber from the tires that had locked up in an attempt to stop.

My husband yelled, "hang on!" In that instant we became airborne.

I cried outloud, "Jesus, I'm coming!" My last heartbeat was the thought of my children and my husband's safety.

In the few seconds it took to hit the macadam of the highway, my soul was at peace. I had the most amazing sense of calm realization that I really DID know where I was going took over.

Feeling a tug on my left side, I landed close to the sidewalk. My husband had been tossed in the other direction, in front of oncoming traffic, like a cigarette butt someone tossed out a window.

God is overwhelming, His peace unimaginable until we really are in need of it, His mercy and grace as wide as our thoughts can comprehend and then a million times more.

I could hear my husband hollaring for me, telling me he was alright and was coming. I sat up slightly, relieved that my back wasn't broken and saw that my left foot was almost completely severed at the ankle.

And that's when the pain hit.

Through the next two years of healing, operations, therapy, wheelchairs and walkers, God was ever present and Jesus was our constant Friend and Companion.

A journal that I kept during this time found its way to a small publisher in Easton, PA (http://www.orrbooks.net/) and was published. A legacy to God's continuing faithfulness and my Savior's love.

Since that day on the back of the Harley, the impending spectre of death looming, I have had peace that passes understanding in the knowledge that when it is the time to greet Him and say, "Jesus I'm coming," He will be waiting eagerly and there will be peace.