Why am I still here? Why did certain things happen in my life? I’d guess that most people have those thoughts from time to time. I certainly did. But now, looking back at nearly eight decades of life, I understand that God has a purpose in everything He does. For instance, this story, which opens in the first chapter of my book, “Aimless Life, Awesome God”, still amazes me because just thirty-six inches separated me from almost certain death.

France, March 30, 1962

I came to lying on my back in the middle of the road, looking up at the gray sky. It was still drizzling, and the pavement was wet; rivulets of water trickled off the blacktop toward the shoulder of the road. There was no pain. “Oh God, can I move? Am I paralyzed? Is anything broken?” Gingerly, I wiggled my fingers and toes, moved my arms and legs a little, then slowly I sat up. “Thank you, God.” Now, where were the guys who were riding with me in the Jeep, and were they okay?

As I surveyed the accident scene, it was apparent that the Jeep had gone straight off the road, hit and dislodged the white road marker, sideswiped a large tree, and rolled over back onto the pavement where it came to rest on its left side, the driver’s side. I also noted that my body had been laying an arm’s length from the bottom of the Jeep, between the Jeep and the tree. The Jeep had missed landing on me by about three feet. How was it possible that I had been ejected from the Jeep but not squashed like a bug when it landed on its side?

I walked around to the top side of the Jeep and found my two riders standing dazed and looking for me. I posted one guy farther around the curve to warn any oncoming drivers. The other guy walked with me back to the main highway where I hoped we could flag down an army vehicle to go for help. A truck stopped, and we explained the situation. The driver said he’d send help and asked if we needed an ambulance. I said no, but my buddy took one look at the blood flowing from the back of my head and said, “Yes, we need one.”

Excerpt From: Robert Frohlich. “Aimless Life, Awesome God.” Apple Books. https://books.apple.com/us/book/aimless-life-awesome-god/id1129891739

Yes, I survived, finished my tour of duty and came home. My God continues to work out His plan for my life; and He will do so to the end. My prayer is that all my stories will point to God and glorify His name.

“I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord.”

Psalm 118:17 ESV”