After living several decades on this earth, I’ve learned that not everything that happens can be explained. Sometimes after an event the only explanation is “It just happened.” Perhaps that is the best way to explain these events in my life.
When I was a counselor at Camp Shiloh near New York City in the summer of 1963, we counselors were responsible for taking our cabin of twelve or thirteen youngsters camping on a nearby hillside about a mile from the cabins. It was not my favorite part of the Shiloh experience; I did not enjoy the experience of living with bugs, ants, and other parts of nature’s inhabitants. And we did this once each of the four two-week sessions.
We slept under the stars in sleeping bags. I was awakened one night by some unusual sounds. As I looked up, I saw a man, dressed in white, standing about ten or fifteen feet away with arms folded, looking down at us. I was frightened and pretended to be still sleeping with eyes closed. When I opened my eyes, the individual had turned and was walking down the hill. I never forgot this experience and can still see him in my mind, standing and looking down on us. Explanation? An angel sent from above to protect the dozen 12-year-old boys and two adult counselors? Just an odd manifestation, which awakened me at 2:00 a.m.? Perhaps the only explanation is that it just happened.
About ten years ago, we were driving to Indianapolis from a funeral in my childhood home near Bedford, Indiana, when we had a flat tire. I pulled onto a side gravel road to get off the highway. It had been raining and the ground was very wet. We were dressed up and I was preparing to call AAA when a young man pulled up behind us and knocked on my window. He simply said, “If you have a spare I will change your tire.” We told him that we would wait for AAA. He would not be convinced to let me call, but insisted he do it. He changed our tire without our leaving the warmth and dryness of our car. When finished, he bade us farewell—and guess what? He was dressed in white, still spotless after changing a tire on a muddy road. I can’t explain it; it just happened.
Two years ago, we were visiting Athens, Greece. One of the sights I wanted to see was the Parthenon. As we descended the slippery path, I was terrified that I might fall. Suddenly a woman in white held out her hand to me and led me down the path to safety. Once I was on secure footing, she was gone as swiftly as she had appeared. Again—it just happened.
Or were they angels, sent to help me in my time of distress?
Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? Hebrews 1:14