The Good
In 1972, Vesna Vulovic, a twenty-two-year-old flight attendant, found herself free-falling from a height of thirty-three thousand feet in the air, without a parachute, after an explosion ripped a huge hole in the airliner on which she was working. Vesna was hospitalized, had suffered numerous broken bones, went into a coma and subsequently required one surgery. But she survived her fall to earth. Vesna recovered from her injuries and holds the Guiness World Record for the highest freefall without a parachute.
The Bad
On the evening of New Year’s Day, 2020, Michelle Clougherty, a forty-year-old wife and mother in Partick, Glasgow, went to bed early for a good night’s sleep. The next morning, Michelle, who had fallen out of bed during the night, was found lifeless by her nine-year-old daughter. The Scottish police determined there were no suspicious circumstances and believed an injury sustained by the fall led to her tragic death.
Vesna fell thirty-three thousand feet and lived. Michelle fell three feet and died. How is it that our bodies can be so fragile at times and yet so resilient at others? The complexity of the human body is truly amazing. It defies explanation in so many ways, even by the most accomplished physicians and scientists. King David summed it up very well when he said, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (Psalm 139:14).
The Miraculous
Can there be anything more miraculous than a human body surviving a fall of more than six miles to solid earth? I believe there is. Our God Almighty, The Creator of everything, willingly decided to take this cracked, flawed, earthen vessel I call a body and place His spirit within it; to live and to work through me. The human bodies of those who love God and claim Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, house the Holy Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 6:19), the great “I AM” (Exodus 3:14). Human words are completely inadequate to express the magnitude of such a miracle. But the repentant human heart can joyfully accept this most gracious gift.
Our Living Hope
Scripture describes our living hope and its source. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3–4).
God promises me that I have a hope of life eternal with Him one day. God then ensured I knew His word was true by giving me a deposit, a guarantee if you will; the indwelling of His Holy Spirit. “How can this be?” you might ask. The answer, taken from God’s Word is clear and concise. It is only the blood of Jesus Christ that purifies us from all our sins (1 John 1:7). God has always known the wayward heart of mankind and our hopelessness under the Law. We were all convicted, condemned, separated from God by our sins. So, some two-thousand years ago, God, in his perfect love and timing, sent A Living Hope to earth to save us. His name is Jesus Christ, the resurrected Lord; and Savior of those who believe in Him.
Notes
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.