A Surprising Story

​God works in mysterious ways. Actually, He doesn’t just work in mysterious ways; He moves in mysterious ways as well. Let me tell you a story about how God’s mysterious workings saved the life of one of my relatives. 

​The story is called “How My Dad Saved My Great-Uncle’s Life by Dropping a Fridge on Him”.

Yes, you read that correctly. Before you ask, it’s completely true. I saw it. What better verification could you ask for?

​To be fair, expecting an older gentleman, a fourteen-year-old girl, and one middle-aged man to effectively and safely move a full-sized fridge up a set of narrow basement stairs is asking a lot. True, my dad is an army veteran, but even he can’t fight my great-uncle’s enduring stubbornness. As a result, my dad and I were helping my great-uncle move the fridge instead of waiting for a more appropriate workforce, lest my great-uncle try to move the thing himself. 

​At first, things went pretty well. It was only when my Dad had reached the top of the steps and paused to adjust his grip on the dolly that the great fridge-moving endeavor got out of hand-quite literally. His hand slipped, the dolly lurched forward, and suddenly my great-uncle, who had been standing at the bottom of the stairs, was lying on the floor with his leg pinned under the fridge. Things moved pretty quickly after that: My dad moved the fridge off my great-uncle, my great-aunt called 911, and I got an ice pack to put on the nasty bruise that was forming on the back of his head. Oh, and did I mention the blood? In addition to the bruise on his head, my great-uncle had pretty big cut on his leg. 

​This is the part of the story where God comes in. A few days after my great-uncle’s exciting afternoon and resultant ambulance trip, my family found out that multiple blood clots had been discovered in my uncle’s leg when his cut was getting patched up. Even though he was already on a blood thinner, the clots had formed anyways. If his leg wouldn’t have been injured by the falling fridge, the blood clots likely wouldn’t have been discovered in time to prevent him from having a heart attack. In other words, God took an adverse situation and used it for good. Though I have seen plenty of other instances where God intervened in mind-boggling manner, none of them were ever as dramatic as the situation I described above. 

In short, if you ever find yourself wondering why God has placed you in a sticky situation, remember this:  “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28, NIV) No matter what God sends your way, 

Elizabeth Scheibl is the Promotional Writing and Editing Intern at New Beginnings. A student at Wisconsin Lutheran College, she is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in History. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, and practicing martial arts.

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