In A Moment’s Notice

We often walk through thinking “It won’t happen to me.” That’s the worse mindset to have. Anything could happen to you.

“Sir, will you please come with me?”

My thoughts on what to eat for breakfast dashed as I looked up from fixing my sock. A grocery store manager was walking towards me with with fervency; a police officer in his hip. “What is going on?,” I thought to myself. I’d soon find out.

“We received a bomb threat and we are evacuating the building.”

Well alright then. I hurriedly fixed my sock, slipped my shoe on, and was whisked away to safety by the officer and manager.

First off, thank God nothing tragic occurred. Things could have been much different! That being said, the range of emotions you feel when you’re evacuated due to a bomb threat is interesting. There’s a level of uncertainty. I personally wasn’t scared, but I had to check to make sure I wasn’t taking the situation for granted. Then, there’s waiting. It took at least two hours for the building to be evacuated and the bomb team to sweep the building. I happened to leave my phone in the office (the grocery store is at the end of the plaza), so I went home and waited. I wasn’t frantic, but I wondered. Ya know? “Did a bomb actually go off? I didn’t hear anything. Was everyone safely evacuated? No one can reach me. When do I go back?,” I mused to myself.

Eventually, I went back to work to check things out.

Once I got back to the office, I took the day as usual. Work had to be done. Until we were evacuated again. The range of emotions washed over me once more. Uncertainty. Wonder. Faith. What? Wait a minute. Faith? Yes, faith. When you’re in this situation, you really need to know who you serve. If I’m praying for safety, then I have to trust God to answer that prayer. Once I got out of my head (I know I’m not the only one that overanalyzes things) and talked to God, there was an assurance that all is well.

Thank God that the day went on to the regular routine. A routine that I’ve complained about. These situations put things in perspective. Our lives could change in a moment’s notice, so let’s be grateful while we are on this Earth.