A few months ago in South Sudan, Brooke (my two-year-old) and I were hanging in a hammock. Abruptly, the string holding the hammock up snapped and we fell from about three to four feet above the ground. Brooke got out without a scratch. I had terrible pain in my tailbone, spine, and hip.
Because the clinic wasn’t easy to get to, I decided to give it a few days and see if it healed on its own. The pain was excruciating and only seemed to get worse. I stayed in bed for two full days, but on the third day, the pain was nearly gone.
A few days ago, another accident occurred. I found Brooke trying to climb down the stairs that has just been mopped. I scolded her and warned her that she could fall and get hurt. I swiftly picked her up and, at that very moment, we both went sliding down the staircase--her head hitting every step.
Miraculously, Brooke escaped with just a small bump on her forehead. My fate didn’t look as promising. My hand was badly mangled and fingers weren’t pointed in normal directions. The X-ray technician said it looked bad. The British doctor with 30-plus years of experience said I definitely had one, possibly two bones broken in my hand. Then the X-rays came back. “Did they x-ray the correct hand?” the doctor asked. Indeed they had. Second miracle of the day--I had escaped the fall with some bruising and swelling, but NOTHING broken.
1. Our God is one of miracles. If you need a miracle today, no matter how big or small, call on some brothers or sisters and have them pray with you. Let's lift one another up, encourage one another and ask God to show us His power.
2. I grew up without my father. It wasn’t the ideal situation, but God is our perfect father. He is there when we fall. In the small falls and the big ones. If you don’t know God as father, ask Him to show you. I pray that you will know Him as He is. One of perfect love, perfect strength, one who is passionate about you!
3. This is for parents: As I slid down the stairs with Brooke in my arms, every part of me wanted to protect her from the fall. But there was nothing I could do. The situation was completely out of my control. We don’t have control of our kids, but praise God that they are His. Let’s be faithful to shepherd them, care for them, and love them well. But at the end of the day, they are His children. Praise God! The perfect father, who looks after His sheep. He’s bigger, stronger and greater than anything I can offer them in my own flesh.
