One evening, while working by myself, I hurriedly installed a heavy steel chute into the recovery circuit at our sapphire mine in Montana. I knew I should take a moment to gather some wood blocks to support the chute in position while I welded it in place. But in the rush to beat the setting sun I instead took an unwise shortcut.
I lost my balance and experienced a brief “uh-oh” moment, as my left foot became pinned under the heavy chute. My right foot then slipped over the edge of the sluice box, pulling me over in a free fall toward the ground several feet down. There was a list of possible bad outcomes that could have consumed my thought, but instead I found myself instantly in my “prayer closet.” I was conscious only of God, divine Love, with no awareness of danger whatsoever. I made no mental attempt to “save” myself by any direct physical effort.
I clearly remember being immersed in a sense of total trust and the warm embrace of “the everlasting arms” as described in Deuteronomy 33:27.
