Godstops

I just finished readying our Toyota Sienna Rampvan to sell. One by one, changes are being made to prepare for this new life God has laid out for me.

Seventeen-plus years ago, Steven and I were starting another new life - that of dealing with severe traumatic brain injury. Looking back over the years previous to that time, I am amazed and humbled at how God so lovingly prepared us for what lay ahead.

For example......

1. Growing-up years
God gave me a beautiful picture of Himself through my earthly father, who daily showed unusual forgiveness, unconditional love, and grace, even in very trying, difficult situations. Consequently, faith and trust in my heavenly Father's plans, in spite of the brain injury, actually came naturally at the time of the collision.

2. Summer 1967
The above paragraph would still not have been possible had not God allowed me to become deathly sick, during which time I stopped fighting God and gave my life to Him. This brought about a "relationship" with God. Years later, I could lay all the fears and struggles and trials of the brain injury at God's feet, and He could comfort and guide me into the next steps through His Word and His Holy Spirit within me.

3. Fall 1967
God used my mom's insistence on wanting a "doctor" in the family to push me into entering National College of Chiropractic, where Steven tutored me for an advanced chemistry class that I was unprepared for. Being a new Christian, I couldn't be quiet about God, much to Steven's dismay. On the night that Steven had finally had enough and was going to tell me to "get lost forever", God had other plans, and Steven instead committed his life to Christ. This started his own "relationship" with Christ, which became the bedrock of his ability to eventually cope with the brain injury.

4. 1978
God opened up an opportunity to sell Steven's first office building and buy a commercial building that was already set up with other tenants plus empty space for Steven's practice. Later, when Steven had to close the practice because of the brain injury, that commercial building became our primary means of support. Some of those same original tenants are still with us today.

5. Shortly before our son John's birth in 1977 (Vicki 27, Steven 30)
God caused it to pour down rain the whole week of our FL vacation, and, consequently, we spent time wandering in a Christian bookstore. I found "Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman" - which I promptly read. This book started me on daily alone times with the Lord - reading His Word and listening to, writing down, and praying about whatever the Holy Spirit was speaking specifically to me through His Word. Shortly thereafter, Steven, seeing the difference this made in my life, began a daily time of reading a short section of God's Word followed by a daily letter to God about that section of Scripture as pertaining to his life. This daily time of reading His Word and listening to and talking to the Lord was the foundation that has enabled us to persevere with the brain injury and beyond. Studying the Word so intently also enabled us to have a clear understanding of Biblical doctrine, which helped prevent belief in Satan's lies after the brain injury. In addition, seeing us make that a daily priority presented a good picture to our children, who also consequently gave their lives to the Lord and began their own daily times with Him. Our children's faith has tempered their reactions to the brain injury and enabled them, throughout the years of brain injury, to lift us up and encourage us.

6. While the children were growing up
God taught me, through allowing a few things into our lives that were a bit tough, to get into the habit of going to the piano and singing a praise song when I was discouraged or upset or sad. That specific habit made all the difference in the world in dealing with consequences of the brain injury throughout the years. For example, one of the areas Steven was damaged in was the frontal lobe (dealing with emotions), and until we found correct medications and those injured pathways started reconnecting, Steven was very suicidal. I specifically remember going to the piano and first singing songs about heaven (with many tears) and then progressing to praise songs, not knowing whether Steven would still be alive when I got done playing. Eventually, God healed those pathways, and Steven, too, developed the habit of praise - the deeper the trouble, the greater the praise.

7. After our daughters graduated from high school
God moved our daughter Jenny to attend Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, IL, and then each of our other daughters followed in her steps. When Jenny graduated, she married another Moody graduate, Rob Rounds, for whom God provided a job as youth pastor in a Chicago suburb. After Steven and I were injured in central IL, Steven's medical team chose to move him (while still in a coma) to the Rehabilitation Institute ofChicago, considered to be one of the best rehab haspitals in the U.S. I couldn't visit Steven for a long while because of my own injuries, but Jen was in a Chicago suburb, and Amy and Barb were both within walking distance of the hospital. No coincidence.

8. December 1992
Our daughter Jenny was married, and God moved Steven, when he "gave Jenny away" during the wedding, to speak for 5 or 10 minutes on Hebrews 12:1-3 (much to the dismay of other fathers with soon-to-be-bride daughters, because then they had to follow Steven's example!). During that year, Steven also started preparing a sermon to give at Eureka Bible Church, on the same Scripture. That Scripture settled deep into Steven's mind and was one of the major tools that God used to encourage Steven to persevere in the brain injury. For many years, up until the day of his death, he asked me to repeat that Scripture to him every single night before he went to sleep. His admonition to almost everyone he to "persevere" or "never give up" became his trademark (along with "Jesus loves you!").

9. Spring &/or summer 1993
God allowed Tammy Leman's toddler, Tyler, to become very ill with cancer. I was with Tammy for a bit at All Children's Hospital in Chicago and saw how God had moved Tammy to constantly look for and write down things to be thankful for. As soon as I was able after the accident, I started my own ongoing list of "things to be thankful for today". It eventually became habit for both of us, totally affecting our outlook on life with a brain injury.

10. All during Steven's coma experience, September 23, 1993 - January or February 1994
God told Steven, over and over, without stopping, day and night, "Steven, I love you. Steven, I love you. Steven, I love you." God knew Steven would question "why", and He knew beyond a doubt that Steven fully needed to understand His love to be able to begin to trust God's purpose and trust His provision for each day.

Isn't God good????