Divine Design - Reflecting on the Path God Put Me On

What a weekend! I returned Sunday from a weekend retreat in Costa Mesa at the Wyndham Hotel and Resort. It was the first retreat I went on through our church, CCV. Wow! They really know how to inspire, teach, love and care for the women of our church. The hotel was beautiful, but most of all, the Holy Spirit was present and working in my life and the lives of the other 160 women that were there. I shared a room with my Bestie, Janet and our friend, Christina. We enjoyed the fellowship with other women, laughing and crying with each other as new friendships were formed. I pray that these new friendships will inspire me for a lifetime.

I’d like to share a story I wrote during a workshop I took at the retreat called, “Seeing God in Your Story.” While writing out this event from my life, I was able to reflect on how much God has done in my life as a result of this powerful experience I went through.

Several years ago, I considered my life to be fairly ordinary and not really exciting. All of that was about to change. John often worked nights, so it wasn’t unusual for me to lay asleep alone in my bed. Although my girls were asleep just down the hall, I felt alone in our big house. Finally, I drifted off to sleep around 1am. John would be home soon, then I'd sleep more soundly knowing he survived another dangerous night at work.
Startled by a sound, I awoke and smacked the alarm clock, but the noise didn't end. It was the phone and little did I know, my world was about to be rocked. "This isn't good," I thought as I searched for the phone. I looked at the clock and it read 3:10am. I looked at the empty bed space beside me. Where was John? He should have been home an hour before. Fear set in. A ringing phone at 3:10am is usually not a good thing. I answered the phone to John's voice. Relief, he was alive. My mind began to fill in all the questions that raced through my mind. He was probably calling to say he'd be really late and didn't want me to panic when I awoke in the morning. If only! If only that was what he was about to tell me. Instead, I heard these words, "I'm at the hospital. I was in an accident. A stupid drunk hit me head on. You stay put at home, let the girls sleep and I'll call you later. Love you." Before I could even process what he'd said, he hung up. Wait! What just happened? He couldn't tell me something like that and then just hang up! By then, I was very much awake. As the grogginess wore off, questions raced through my mind. What hospital? How bad? Was he okay? I had to talk to him again. I dialed his cell phone, praying he would answer. I got his voicemail. No! I didn't want voicemail! I dialed again and that time he answered. "It will be okay," he told me. If only that had been true.

We live the rest of the story every day of our lives. John had a serious injury to his spine. A piece of his spine launched itself against his spinal cord. His neck was a mess and major surgery was required to repair as much of the damage as possible. After a titanium plate and screws and over a year of physical and occupational therapy, J made a very good recovery for his injury, but nothing ever was the same again. He did beat the odds and was able to regain 67% of his mobility and returned to work 14 months later, but he lives with pain, unable to participate in many of the activities he used to love. Although the entire experience was beyond difficult and I had to care for my husband in ways I never thought I'd have to, we are at peace with what happened. God did some amazing things through that accident. He drew us closer to each other and best of all, He drew us closer to Him. I don't think we could have learned to completely lean on God, even when we don't understand what He is doing, if we hadn't lived through that event. God tended to our every need, providing friends and family to support our physical and emotional needs. God taught us the importance of community, letting go of control and taking one step at a time when we can't see the path in front of us. God taught us that He is faithful and all things are possible with Him. Amen!