View Blog Entry

December 10, 2009 was a challenging day.

Although we don’t know the exact sequence of the events, my husband fell, got a deep cut on his head, and received a severe brain injury. He also suffered a heart attack and probable stroke, in addition to significant oxygen deprivation when his heart and lungs stopped functioning.

That experience, and the days that followed, magnified my gratitude for the miracle of life and those who promote, sustain, and enhance it.

I’m thankful for:

• The 911 dispatcher who calmly walked me through those first minutes and remained on the phone until the ambulance arrived.
• EMS personnel who professionally met my husband’s physical needs while obtaining necessary information and providing guidance during my emotional distress.
• Doctors, nurses, and other hospital medical and support staff, who honestly yet compassionately explained the dire circumstances. They provided emergency care yet respected privacy and personal dignity. They also arranged as comfortable a setting as feasible—preparing us for what they thought inevitable.
• Family, friends around the world, and a church that surrounded us with prayer, love, and innumerable acts of kindness.
• The neighbor who blanches at the sight of blood yet cleaned the floor where my husband fell, so I would not have to face it when I returned home.

I’m thankful beyond words that twenty-four hours after our crisis, with his respirator removed, my husband breathed on his own, tracked motion and sounds with his eyes, and squeezed our hands in response to questions. I’m thankful that within forty-eight hours, he sat up and talked. I’m thankful that staff in three hospitals continued to provide tests, treatment, and therapy but also openly acknowledged the miracle of his survival.

I’m most thankful for the ultimate Provider of all healing and the Giver of life—not only physical but also eternal for those who accept the gift available through Jesus’ sacrificial death. Because of all He did, does now, and will do in the future, when we take that inevitable step from this life to the next, we need not fear. The same God who walks with us every step of this present life will welcome us into the next with open arms of love.

Will you also accept God’s gift?

(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)

(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)