Hello ,
In our wildest dreams, we never would've chosen this path that my wife has been on for the past 30 years. It hasn't been an easy one. My wife was in a tragic car accident in 1990 that changed our lives forever. We had well-meaning friends that told us things like, "I believe that you will have a full recovery," but a full recovery never happened. Yes, we've adjusted our lives
to the reality that Roberta is permanently in a wheelchair, but that adjustment hasn't made everything simple, easy, or stress-free.
I recently witnessed something though, that reminded me once again, that God is in the business of taking the pain that we have experienced, and using it to bless others. We have a good friend of our family (Chris), who had recently had a tragic accident that involved fracturing the exact same vertebrae as my wife had so many years ago. Chris broke his L-1 vertebrae in a motor vehicle accident, and to say that he has been
emotionally devastated by all of it would be an accurate assessment.
Please keep Chris in your prayers as he works hard in therapy. An injury like this can make one feel targeted and singled out as a human being. "Why me?" is a very normal response for someone that is injured like this, and there seems to be very few people who understand what one is going through when they're in this situation. All the platitudes that "uninjured people" normally hand out sometimes feel like an emotional slap in the
face.
Through it all Roberta has reached out to Chris, and recently Chris reached back. They've had a lengthy conversation that doesn't contain well-meaning platitudes about the dire realness of his situation. My wife has brought some hope into the life of a young man who is feeling pretty challenged by everything that he's going through. She's travelled this road, and she knows it's a bumpy one. That very fact has value when she's
speaking with our young friend, and Roberta does it with love, grace, and a huge dose of reality.
How is it with you?
Is there something that you have struggled with in your life that could bring comfort, peace, or the strength to carry on for someone else? If you've ever lost a child, had a debilitating illness, or gone through a heart-breaking divorce, you bring something to the table that can truly help someone else. God can use our pain to reach others in ways that are often breath-taking.
"Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." Galatians 6:2
What door of opportunity might be open in your world, that would bless someone else today? Please consider praying about it.
Have a great day and God bless!
