Memorable Moments of Divine Protection

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Guest Post by Jim Jackson

Looking back over the years, I am grateful to have learned how divine guidance has shaped my life and, at key moments, saved me from unimaginable harm, even death.

A Memorable Moment in our Neighborhood

When I was six—seven, Jimmy, our across-the-street friend, was bragging about his father having some bullets on his dresser. I talked Jimmy into bringing one out to show all six of the neighborhood kids.

When he did, I had all of us kids, including my sister, Phyllis, who was 3 1/2, gather on our knees in our concrete driveway. I then struck the bullet Jimmy had placed in the center of our circle with a hammer. On the second hit, it fired off!

As I now look back, I wonder how that bullet got through that solid circle of flesh without hitting one of us. Back then, as a kid, it never crossed my mind that something terrible might happen. I didn’t think that far ahead. 

If one of us had been hit, it would have changed all our lives—and the lives of our parents! Things would have never been the same. To my knowledge, none of us kids ever told our parents. My mom did come out of our house, however, to ask what the noise had been.

I have learned and truly believe that this event was touched by Divine Providence. The Holy Spirit was on “watch” to insure that I made it far enough in life to complete my purpose and not injure or alter another’s course in life.

“Little Ralph”

I am also reminded of the time when “Little Ralph” and I found a book of matches outside the grocery store. We went behind the gas station next to the store and began to light the matches with no thought as to where we were.

Little Ralph struck a match that burned his fingers. He dropped the match. It fell into two-foot tall dry brown grass which then exploded into ten-foot tall flames. Like all “solid citizens,” we ran home like mad as we knew the police would be after us—especially if the fire got to the gas tanks!

That night I heard my parents what they’d heard from neighbors. I was as quiet as a mouse, and I’m sure Little Ralph was too. Thankfully, the fire was quickly drowned by the fire department before it could come around to the front of the station where the tanks were located. (No clues were found as to how the fire began.)

The only explanation of these two “dumb-luck” free will adventures was that I was protected by Spirit from committing disasters that would have affected many lives, including those of my parents who would have had to pay the consequences. Had things gone the other way, my spiritual purpose would likely have been put on hold until a future lifetime. Of course, at the time, I consciously knew nothing about that.

One could easily say that I was a “Little Rascal,” a wild hellion, and full of impudence. But, as I like to think, as Soul, I just wanted to quickly go back to my true home with God. I suspect that subconsciously, I thought needed to have every weird experience I could get and as often as I could dream them up. Divine Spirt jumped in on the two occasions just mentioned to protect me from harm.

Tennis at OSU

Divine protection showed up again when I was 20, a sophomore at Oregon State playing on the tennis team.

We were coming back to Corvallis from Eugene, where we had walloped the University of Oregon 7-0. Our coach was driving us in his brand new Dodge station wagon. Back then, 1957, there was no I-5, just the two-lane Highway 99. 

Coach Harris did not recognize that the car about 100 yards ahead of us had stopped. The driver was waiting on cars traveling the opposite direction to pass, in order to make a left hand turn. When we got within 50 feet, the coach slammed on his brakes. Our car did a “twirl-around,” and the team manager and I were thrown out of our open back seat window, just before the slight crash of the two vehicles.

We landed on the far shoulder of the highway and were both taken to the Corvallis hospital, diagnosed with concussions, and kept overnight. I was told that I had been unconscious when the ambulance had arrived. There were bruises, scrapes, but no broken bones.

The woman, who had been driving an oncoming car traveling south in the other lane, reported that I had flown over the front of her car en route to the shoulder of the road. At the moment, she thought I was going to be squashed like a bug on her windshield. Well, I had been protected again.

I did not have permission to practice that week, but I won both of my singles and doubles matches Friday and Saturday on our trip to Pullman and Moscow.

67 years after being thrown from the car during my sophomore year at OSU, I don’t recall any more details of the day, only how apologetic Coach Harris was. But he more than made up for it. He got us a great trip to the NCAA Tennis Championships in Annapolis, Maryland, where I saw JFK.

After losing 7-5 and 7-5 to a better player in the first round, I made it to the finals of the consolation bracket. I felt better about my experience at the tournament when I was reminded that all the #1 players in the US were there. Half had lost in the first round, and I had lost to the best player in the tournament. I needed to change my attitude and perspective!

In conclusion, Divine Spirt has guided my life through many obstacles and potentially life-changing situations. I give my dear thanks to the Holy Spirit and my Inner Teacher for the love and protection I needed so often in my life. Had my life been cut short due to some foolish action on my part, I would not have had the opportunity to go through dental school, nor to discover the spiritual path of “Eckankar” and experience adventures well beyond what I imagined as a kid.

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Jim Jackson enjoys reading, writing, and sharing his experiences with those in his community and friends. He spent five months in the Newberg Rehab Center following surgery on his right patella (knee cap). Jim is happy to be home and is catching up with old friends.

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