It’s easy for some people to reason away the existence of God as they walk through the monotony of daily life, witnessing little that appears to be miraculous.
But every once in a while, a striking moment forces them to acknowledge that life truly must be orchestrated by the divine.
Chris Thorp was graced with such a moment earlier this week when he encountered a young man who he never anticipated seeing over 13 years after he’d rescued him as a little boy.
“Sometimes it’s hard not to believe in higher powers,” Chris wrote on Facebook. “Right now, is one of those moments.”
After spotting a man with injuries and scars that matched who Chris suspected the stranger might be, he thought to himself “I wonder if that’s him…”
Chris made the bold move to walk up to the burn victim and ask him if his name was Christian. Lo and behold, this was the 4-year-old sole survivor of an accident that had scarred both of them forever 13 years ago.
He detailed the rest of their encounter in a touching Facebook post that has since warmed the hearts of thousands across the web:
“I was supposed to be on a Operation Enduring Warrior/ Task Force Sentinel phone call this evening. But instead I picked up Jenah from work, and took her to pick up her car from the mechanic. As we were driving in the parking lot this guy caught my attention. As I drove passed him I muttered to Jenah, ‘I wonder if that is him…’ Everything about it seemed right. The age, the injuries, the scars……I hadn’t seen him in nearly 13 years, he was 4 years old then, but everything seemed to fit.
Without saying much more to Jenah, I dropped her off at the car, and then found a parking spot. I wasn’t sure how I was going to do this, …..matter of fact, how do you do this?
I slowly walked over to him, and his family. I slowly approached him, and when he looked at me….I shattered the ice.
‘Is your name Christian ?’
‘Yeah’
‘You were in a car fire in Windsor on 101 when you were 5’
‘Yeah’
‘My name is Chris, and I’m the one of the ones who pulled you out’
I’m not sure how he felt, and I’m not sure how I felt, but it was surreal. Here he was….the sole survivor of a crash, that impacted us both in ways I don’t think either of our families truly will ever fully comprehend.
He gave me a brief rundown of his life since. He’s done amazing things, and fought tremendous battles. We didn’t touch on too much, but he’s a serious warrior.
I stopped him dead sentence, and told him I have something for you. I returned and handed him the Gold Medal of Valor (which happened to be in the Jeep glove compartment ) I was awarded for the incident. I explained to him he deserved it far more than I ever did, and he was far more Brave and a Warrior than I ever shall be. He accepted it, and in a lot of ways I realized I had been merely it’s Keeper, until the time came for him to take possession.
I still don’t know how I feel. Him [sic] and his Family are very much a part of me. A part of me has come home, and at the same moment a huge weight has been lifted from my heart.
Well, Higher Power….If you are there. Thank You.”
