A philosophical reflection is that 'a moment in time' can change the course of any one's life.
Read any politicians auto-biography and they too reflect on this philosophical statement. There is introspection as to what was going through their mind when they made such a decision.
There is a very interesting 1980's television play titled 'Countdown to War' where the final few months prior to the start of World War II are played out in great detail as the actors performing the various historical figures from France, Germany, England, Russia and Italy are heard and seen reflecting on those incredible decisions of 'a moment in time'.
This play reveals the secret workings of their hearts, whether these were positive or negative emotions.
M V Tronson says that while studying Church History, he always thought that it would have been interesting to have had some way of seeing inside the heads and hearts of innumerable people throughout the ages when they had seminal 'moments of decision'. M V Tronson who won the Church History prize while at theological college.
First, he ponders upon war history moments, and ponders the fascination of Napoleon's entry into Moscow. What would have gone through the mind of the first modern European conqueror of that city, as he triumphantly gazed upon its streets?
Second, he considers sporting records, and wonders what went through John Bannister's mind when he saw the official time and recognised that he was the first man in history to break the four-minute barrier for the mile athletic race.
Third, he looks at paradigm shifts in modern business and manufacturing in our industrialised society, and wonders about Henry Ford and that moment in time that he realised the fulfilment of his marketing vision of a conveyor belt produced motor vehicle (T Model Ford) that most people could afford.
Also, M V Tronson says, there are many other 'moments' in fiction, but which reflect situations in real life and are repeated in the millions of books. Take romance novels for example, where we are told in intimate detail issues of the heart, which has influenced generation upon generation.
In our own lives, too, we have 'moments' where we need to choose one fork in the road ahead, and make a decision that will affect the rest of our lives: decisions about where to live, whether to buy or rent, whether to apply for promotion (or a new job), how to raise the new baby just delivered to our arms, what type of schooling for the kids, how to apportion the family budget … plus all those decisions we make every day.
Moreover he says, it is described in the New Testament that when a person makes a decision to seek forgiveness for their sin of the Lord Jesus, who died on the Cross for their sins, there comes a new world view which changes the very purpose of life.
And we know Jesus' moment on that Cross when he called as he died, 'It is finished' fulfilling those many Old Testament prophecies. It is incomprehensible to us to try to imagine 'what that moment was like'.
In his own ministry, M V Tronson says, some of his most rewarding moments involved his negotiations with professional sports at the time they decided to formally adopt a chaplain. The result was another moment, he says, which was awe inspiring in that he recognised the Lord had over-seen his prayer, beyond human imagination.
Moments such as these have been very sweet to Mark Tronson, who has made some important decisions about his own life's direction in order to be in a position to witness these events.
He is a former train-driver; not handsome nor perfectly manicured, nor elegantly attired, and he stutters. To become a Baptist minister he had to earn his academic stripes as a mature-aged student.
He says when he has to make momentous decisions in his professional capacity, that in his own heart, he ponders as if to think and speak as though he is still on the Footplate, connecting where common people might connect, when seeking the Will of the Lord in his decisions. The faith of common people, like that of children, as Jesus said, is beyond reproach.
Christians have made one important choice in our lives; having chosen to follow Christ. Christians can probably remember the feeling in their hearts, remembering 'what it was like' at that exact time that such a decision was made.
The secret feeling in the hearts of many Christians was explained well by former Rugby League star, Ian Barkley, in an article in 1985 written by Sydney sports journalist Roy Masters: "Having Christ in your life is like trying to describe to someone the smile on the Mona Lisa."