We’ve all experienced that sigh of relief when something happened just in time. 

… Like when you made it into the house just before a downpour of rain. You chuckle to yourself – no, you laugh at the rain – as if to say, “You missed me; I’m safe. Better luck next time.”

I remember playing hide’n seek when I was a kid and one time the person who was “it” was close to me, but I thought I could outrun him. I took a chance and, when he was looking the other way, I took off. 

I ran as fast as I could but I underestimated the speed of the kid who was chasing me. 

He was gaining fast as we approached home base. But just before he caught me, I touched the post and was safe. 

I was so out of breath, but that couldn’t deter the smile on my face that went from ear to ear. 

We looked each other in the eyes and both knew that if there had have been another couple of feet I would probably have been “it” the next round.

… That didn’t stop me from singing that little tune that gets under every loser’s skin: “Nananananana”.

There is a distinct and joyous satisfaction when you make it in the nick of time. Whether it is escaping a downpour of rain, beating a red light, or getting past the door of a store just before the manager closes it for the night. 

Whew, we made it.

Well, that’s maybe how SNC-Lavalin felt the other night when the Canadian election results came in. 

The Conservatives had made it clear that they would open up an investigation into corruption if they got into power.  

The company executives also knew that if the Liberals won the election they would be safe from any repercussion over past corrupt business dealings. 

You could almost see the executives chewing their fingernails to the bone as the night went on, wondering who would win.

Better than that, I imagined those SNC-Lavalin executives running with all their might down a street as the police chased them in hot pursuit. They were panting, exhausted, but running for their very lives, sweat dripping off their brows, in their suits, their ties flapping in the wind behind their shoulders.

And then it was declared: the Liberals won a minority government. 

That was it. They ducked into the building to their right and locked the glass doors behind them.

The police had no authority or access to enter. 

The executives, hunched over and exhausted, wiped their foreheads of sweat and looked out the glass doors at the police. 

They chuckled and quietly, looked at each other, then back at the police, and said, “Nananananana”.

Oh, that feeling they must have had to know the possible nightmare threat would not materialize. 

It must have felt good. 

But not as good as the next day – October 22, 2019 – when SNC-Lavalin stocks took a major leap in the stock market from $2.24 – $19.92!

Here’s the thing: In life we can go from close call to close call, each time rejoicing that we made it by the skin of our teeth. But all those just-in-time games we play are short term for this life. You might get into heaven by a slim margin ( 1Corinthians 3:15 ) but there will be no rejoicing in your good fortune. Don’t play hide and seek with your relationship with God. Don’t find yourself running to get in on time. Secure your relationship now and grow it. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you need to stop running from? Leave your comments and questions below.