Miracle#3: That Time I Caught on Fire

[This is part of the You Are Here for a Reason series.]

There are times when details transpire in such a way that they either cause catastrophe or keep it from happening. Flames are a part of my childhood. In this post, the details make an impact on the miracle that God did to save my life. Here’s the third miracle.

Miracle #3: That Time I Caught on Fire

We lived in a house with one bathroom. Everyone was looking forward to the installation of the bathroom fan to ease the humidity during showers and for…air quality. My scrawny, eight-year-old frame housed a fearless tomboy; I wanted to help.

Daddy’s right shoulder was filling the corner, while he worked with the electrical wires sticking out of the wall on his left. I volunteered to shine the flashlight on those wires since the light from the candle wasn’t bright enough.

After a few minutes, he leaned his shoulder on the left side of the naked outlet. My new goal was to shine the light on his other side, but I was hindered by the corner. It was too small a space for me to fit. I realized I could sit on the bathroom sink behind him and reach my arm around to shine it on the correct spot.

I jumped up on the counter, back to the mirror, and leaned back. In one quick motion, my arm was holding up the flashlight, beaming that I figured out a way to help. Almost before I finished that thought my back felt really hot! I glanced behind me and saw the flames.

Panic hit; I ran screaming towards the kitchen because my mom was there. I was deaf to Daddy’s voice yelling at me to “Stop, drop, and roll!”

He ran after me, wiping out the flames with his bare hand by the time I reached the living room. (His act of love knocked me down, and my grandpa and brother watching TV thought the whole fiasco was because I was getting spanked. Ha!)

I ended up with only one tiny blister. Why wasn’t it worse than this? I was dressed for protection without planning it. Read on.

The Miracle Part

That morning I had gotten dressed in my favorite flannel shirt and pulled my waist-long hair back into a ponytail. Right afterward, Mom came in to chat with me. She braided my hair and suggested I wear a t-shirt under my flannel shirt because it was a cold day. I thought it was a good idea, too, and put on an undershirt.

We surveyed my damaged clothes and speculated what happened. When I had leaned back on that bathroom counter, my braid swung into the flame, igniting my shirt. The flannel shirt was left with a gaping hole that covered almost my entire back, but the undershirt only had a tiny hole in the bottom. That hole left one blister on my skin, the only burn I had.

Why didn’t the undershirt have a huge hole as well? After inspecting it, we discovered it was flame resistant. I looked in my drawer later. It was the only undershirt I owned that happened to be flame resistant! I could have chosen any of the others, but I didn’t. God made sure I grabbed the right one, a little did I know it would help prevent a serious burn.

The very end of my braid was charred. Mom was able to brush the burnt part right out, and only a little trim was needed! If it had remained in a ponytail, the flames would have been licking at my scalp in a matter of seconds!  

My dad’s poor hand got it way worse than I did. It was covered in blisters. Thank you, Daddy, for that!

The end of this story could have been very tragic. Even as an eight-year-old, I realized the details spoke loud that God did a miracle instead!

Moral of the Story

How many times have you said, “That was close!” when an accident nearly occurred? God is sovereign. Only He may know how many times He has saved your life. If you are reading this, then you are still alive; God wants you here right now.

Don’t give up. Whether or not you understand fully, just believe that you are here for a reason!

For I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, they are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 NLT

Here are quick links to each post in the You Are Here for a Reason mini-series:

1. Miracle #1: A Rescuing Hand

2. Miracle #2: God Saves a 3-Year-Old

3. Miracle #3: That Time I Caught on Fire

What miracles have God done in your life?

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