While I can’t explain why bad things sometimes happen, I do know that God works all things together for the good and the furtherance of his Kingdom (Romans 8:28). In August of last year, I was involved in a very serious car accident that, as a result, required a three-week stay in the hospital, four significant surgeries, and months of physical rehabilitation. And I can say without a doubt, the many blessings that came from this situation have outweighed the challenges I have faced.
From the start, I have seen God through the actions and love I received from my church family, even though at the time I was a fairly new church member. The first visitor I had after my accident, outside of immediate family, was Steve Wells who reassured me and told me of the many people praying for my recovery. Throughout this experience I had a calm and peace that could only come from feeling the presence of God. I constantly received letters of encouragement with meaningful scripture, and I felt God working through these wonderful church members.
At the time of my accident, I was blessed to have an ER nurse at the accident site who tended to my immediate needs, the top orthopedic trauma surgeon in the state on call in Houston who was waiting for me upon my arrival in Houston, and I received top care in the Texas Medical Center. During my recovery, I was blessed to reconnect with many old friends who had grown more distant as people got busy with families and careers. I have been overwhelmed with the love and support given to me, and I have felt God’s hand in my life and have grown closer to Him as well as family and friends through this experience.
The surety of God’s blessing was most evident to me when my wife forwarded one of her daily devotionals to our family text string shortly before my birthday and the anniversary of my accident. The verse she shared was Romans 8:18, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” I thought how applicable this is to my situation and the experience I have had over this past year. And then I realized the chapter and verse of this scripture equate to August 18th, my birthday! I immediately called Leslie to share this, knowing it was beyond coincidence.
The promise of Advent and the miracle of Christ’s birth fill me with awe and amazement, and to feel His presence in all situations of life, both positive and negative, is truly miraculous. For God to strikingly turn such a negative event into one of such blessing truly exemplifies the miracle of Jesus. I am blessed beyond measure, and I want to say thank you to all my SMBC family for your prayers, your support, and your love throughout this experience and for strengthening my faith through your actions.
