A Certain Place, A Certain Time

Friday, 16 June 2017 – By Zachary Weaver-Snojaie of Cheshire, Manchester, England

For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. —Colossians 1:19–20 NRSV

Sometimes we are given reminders that we are supposed to be in a certain place at a certain time for a very clear reason. On December 24, 2016—Christmas Eve—I found myself in Vevey, Switzerland. It was a last-minute trip; I decided just a week earlier to squeeze in a holiday before the Christmas period. The night before flying out from Manchester, I had decided to change my plans to visit Vevey and stay there for two of the three nights I was away.

Christmas Eve morning, I was up early and planned to get the train to visit a nearby town before heading back to the airport to fly home. I began walking with my luggage toward the train station. Since Vevey overlooks Lake Geneva and the Alps, I decided to walk along the waterfront to enjoy the sights one last time. I found myself being captivated by the view of the sun rising through the mountains on the lake. The wonder was enough to change my plans, and I sat to enjoy the tranquility with no one else around.

Suddenly I heard someone screaming. I ran over to the lake and saw that an elderly woman had fallen in and was struggling to stay above the water. By pure grace, I was able to get into the water and pull her to safety. I gave her a dry towel I had in my luggage and provided support while she recuperated.

Looking back, so many choices put me on the path to be there for Andrea. We can only thank God that I was in Vevey that morning and that she is safe.

Read the entire Daily Bread Blog at http://www.cofchrist.org/daily-bread#!/2376/a-certain-place,-a-certain-time.