WHEN LIFE TAKES A DETOUR
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
9) “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”
10) For when I am weak, then I am strong.
I never imagined that when our flight was canceled on Saturday night and we were informed that there would be no other flights, I would end up in the back of an ambulance heading to a trauma center instead of a cab returning to our hotel. I’ve heard it said that life can change in an instant, and I can personally attest to that. One moment, I was walking out of the terminal to get transportation, and the next, I was on the ground, clutching my leg in excruciating pain.
Needless to say, I have ample time on my hands to contemplate and reflect on the current state of my life. As is common with many individuals, the primary thought that crossed my mind that night was, “Why God?” I questioned whether I had done or neglected something that necessitated this challenge in my life at this particular moment. My husband, Steve, interpreted it as a sign that I needed to slow down. He believed that I had been overextending myself in taking care of him and our daily lives and that I required a break. Well, here I am, taking a break.
While lying in that hospital bed, the one thing I did was pray. Every day, multiple times a day. I prayed for my surgeon and his team to successfully reconstruct my leg. I prayed for the nursing staff who were working 12-hour shifts and were extremely busy taking care of all their patients. I prayed for Steve, that he would be able to cope with me being bedridden until help arrived to take care of him. And I prayed for the young woman who shared my room. From what I could hear from behind the curtain, she had struggled with addiction in her life, experienced some abuse, and faced mental challenges. During a manic episode, I managed to calm her down by reading one of my devotions to her. When I reached the actual scripture passage, she recited it with me, word for word. It gave me some peace to know that she had God in her life. When I told her I was going to listen to my church service on my phone, she said she would listen to hers as well. And she did, for maybe one song. Our nurses thanked me for my help and left us to try and get some sleep once again. As I lay there listening to Pastor Twyla, I was reminded that even in my annoyance and lack of sleep from this young woman’s outburst, God reminded me to reach out and try to ease her burden by sharing my words with her. I could have easily rolled over, put my earbuds in, and blocked out her ranting and raving. But I couldn’t actually do that; I couldn’t roll over. I was pulled to try and help her. She had had no visitors, but from her talking, I knew she had adult children and some friends. Yet, when she fell and broke her shoulder, she had no one. I imagine that her life choices more than likely had a role in why she was alone, but it wasn’t my place to judge her or her family. But it did tug at my heartstrings that she had no one there for her.
Luke 6:37-38
37) Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.
38) Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full —pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”
9) “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”
10) For when I am weak, then I am strong.
I never imagined that when our flight was canceled on Saturday night and we were informed that there would be no other flights, I would end up in the back of an ambulance heading to a trauma center instead of a cab returning to our hotel. I’ve heard it said that life can change in an instant, and I can personally attest to that. One moment, I was walking out of the terminal to get transportation, and the next, I was on the ground, clutching my leg in excruciating pain.
Needless to say, I have ample time on my hands to contemplate and reflect on the current state of my life. As is common with many individuals, the primary thought that crossed my mind that night was, “Why God?” I questioned whether I had done or neglected something that necessitated this challenge in my life at this particular moment. My husband, Steve, interpreted it as a sign that I needed to slow down. He believed that I had been overextending myself in taking care of him and our daily lives and that I required a break. Well, here I am, taking a break.
While lying in that hospital bed, the one thing I did was pray. Every day, multiple times a day. I prayed for my surgeon and his team to successfully reconstruct my leg. I prayed for the nursing staff who were working 12-hour shifts and were extremely busy taking care of all their patients. I prayed for Steve, that he would be able to cope with me being bedridden until help arrived to take care of him. And I prayed for the young woman who shared my room. From what I could hear from behind the curtain, she had struggled with addiction in her life, experienced some abuse, and faced mental challenges. During a manic episode, I managed to calm her down by reading one of my devotions to her. When I reached the actual scripture passage, she recited it with me, word for word. It gave me some peace to know that she had God in her life. When I told her I was going to listen to my church service on my phone, she said she would listen to hers as well. And she did, for maybe one song. Our nurses thanked me for my help and left us to try and get some sleep once again. As I lay there listening to Pastor Twyla, I was reminded that even in my annoyance and lack of sleep from this young woman’s outburst, God reminded me to reach out and try to ease her burden by sharing my words with her. I could have easily rolled over, put my earbuds in, and blocked out her ranting and raving. But I couldn’t actually do that; I couldn’t roll over. I was pulled to try and help her. She had had no visitors, but from her talking, I knew she had adult children and some friends. Yet, when she fell and broke her shoulder, she had no one. I imagine that her life choices more than likely had a role in why she was alone, but it wasn’t my place to judge her or her family. But it did tug at my heartstrings that she had no one there for her.
Luke 6:37-38
37) Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.
38) Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full —pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”
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