Scariest Phone Call of My Life

Ring Ring.

“Hello?”

(Heavy breathing and sobbing) “I got into an accident.”

Let me back-up a little. It’s Saturday night, and I’m at home hanging out with a friend. My wife is out shooting her first wedding ever (so proud of her), and it’s getting pretty late. I get a little concerned, so I call her. No answer. Okay, no biggie. Wait ten minutes, and I call her again. No answer again. Hm, okay, she’s probably busy.

By the time I call her the third time, it’s nearly 10pm, and she’s been gone for over 10 hours. I’m not typically a worry wart, so I’m surprised to be fighting off crazy thoughts of accidents or even worse.

When I finally hear my wife’s ring-tone at half past 10, I calm my nerves and pick up the phone. The moment I hear her sobbing voice, my heart sinks and a rush of blood shoots up my head. I run upstairs, grab my keys, and run out to my car as she’s struggling to explain what happened. Her car had spun out on the freeway while she was driving home.

That was undoubtedly the scariest call I’ve had in my life. Once the situation settled down, and I realized she was unharmed (so thankful!), I had some time to process what had happened. The initial shock wore off, but I’ve been thinking about the feeling all week. I can’t help but wonder about how many people get even worse news over the phone each day. Loved ones getting terrible, earth-shattering phone calls and visits. And if you think about it, the chances are good that everyone will experience that type of trauma in their life at some point or other.

For me, it was a sober but timely reminder that we are pilgrims in this life, and as Steven Curtis Chapman so succinctly says: we are not home yet. The only true security we have is the hope we have in Christ.

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