It doesn’t take long for things to go wrong. In an instant everything can change. 

One minute you’re talking, laughing, having fun, then, without warning, talking stops and you are panicked.

I look back and it’s happened many times in my life.  

Four years ago I was driving to my cottage, it was completely dark, my wife and I were talking, and listening to music. Then, in a split second, a deer ran by the corner of our car and we hit it. 

There was no warning, no time to react. Everything changed that instant. 

I remember 8 years ago, I was playing hockey, feeling fine. After the game I sat down in the dressing room and, all of a sudden, I didn’t feel fine anymore. 

Then 4 weeks ago, Lily and I were getting ready for bed, and we got a phone call that changed everything. 

It was our daughter, Karlie, calling to tell us she was engaged. Well, that kind of news changes everything!

Sometimes a sudden change is not welcomed, but like with our daughter’s news, Lil’s and my conversation suddenly changed in a joyful way.

One thing a sudden change does is it turns you emotionally 180 degrees. You can go from flying high to down in the dumps; you can go from complete exhaustion to totally energized.

When things change suddenly, our response time to it is immediate.

Last night I attended the Kingston Frontenacs hockey game as I usually do on Friday nights. They were playing the first place team in the other conference.

Through two periods they were playing like they were on top of the standings. Though I thought the other team seemed much bigger and stronger than our team, the Fronts were handling them really well.

They had scored some pretty goals and were leading 3-0. You could feel the energy in the arena; you could see the focus our guys had as they played their hearts out. 

Early in the third period we scored again to make it 4-0.

That should have been a premonition – a 4 goal lead is never a good thing. I remember the Toronto Maples Leafs had a 4 goal lead in the seventh game of the playoffs one year … and they lost the game and the series in overtime. 

Well last night, though it wasn’t a playoff game, we witnessed a similar comeback. In about 10 minutes, the opposing team scored 4 times to tie the game. As the time was winding down, it looked like overtime was a guarantee. 

With 30 seconds to go in the game, Kingston had the puck deep in the opposition’s end. 

But with 14 seconds left, there was a face-off in Kingston’s end. They lost the face-off and the puck stayed in their end.  

Just a few seconds left and they would get at least one point and a possible two points if they scored in overtime. 

And then in an instant – 2.5 seconds left to be exact – everything changed. There would be no guaranteed point, no overtime: a fifth goal against Kingston and it was over.

A heartbreaker for sure. Everything changed in an instant.

Here’s the thing: Anything can happen in an instant. When it does, it changes everything. Christ will come back one day and it’s going to happen in an instant. Everything will change. That change will be amazing for some and horrifying for others. Be sure you are set up for a joy-filled change and not a heartbreaker. Place your faith in Jesus Christ. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What memory do you have of an instant that brought you great joy? Leave your comments and questions below.