Monday, February 25, 2013

Protection

On Thursday afternoon about 1 o' clock, I got a call that Jason and his friend, C, had been in a car accident in North Carolina. Jason told me the explorer had rolled onto his side and that he had some punctures on his hand. He told me that they were okay, but he was bleeding and had called 911. I was concerned because he was injured and it was going to take me a couple of hours to get up there to him. My mom didn't want me to go alone, so I was waiting on her to get home when I got another call. The call was from C. He told me that Jason was going to be air lifted to Erlanger in Chattanooga. It was at this point that I lost it. The fact that Jason was being air lifted somewhere was incredibly scary and sounded really serious. I asked if it was more serious than they originally told me. C told me that Jason's hand was injured badly and there was concern of nerve damage because his fingers were numb. In Chattanooga he would be able to see a specialist. 

Even though C told me that Jason was okay except for his hand, I was terrified. I couldn't see him, I didn't know how severe his injury was, and I couldn't talk to him either because he was in so much pain. I had to pull myself together to call Jason's mom to let her know what was happening. I let her know that Mom and I were about to leave and would be by to pick her up.

The drive to Chattanooga was a long one. My stomach was in knots, and I was very much on edge. Jason called when he was getting on the helicopter. I was very happy to hear his voice!

When we finally made it to the emergency room at Erlanger, Jason was being stitched up, and the doctor didn't want us to come back until he was finished. After some convincing that none of us would pass out from seeing Jason's injuries, we were finally allowed to see him! I was so relieved to finally see his face and know that he truly was okay except for his hand. We were also able to finally here the whole story of what happened.

Jason and C were headed down the mountain in our explorer pulling a small trailer with their four wheelers on it. It's not a paved road, so it was slick because things were wet. They were coming down slowly, but the trailer was pushing them forward some too. The passenger tire on the explorer went up onto a tree root causing the truck to fall over onto the driver's side. As the truck was falling, Jason put his hand up to brace himself on the ceiling. His hand slipped out his open window and ended up between the explorer and the road. As the explorer was sliding, Jason was able to pull his hand out from under the car. 

Jason's forearm and hand is not pretty right now. He has a lot of road rash, some cuts and scrapes, and a  few deep lacerations. He has a "crush" injury to his wrist- not that the bones are crushed but that nerves and tendons were compressed. Right now the main concern is getting the exterior wounds healed up without infection. Only after he is healed will we know for sure that there is no nerve, tendon, or ligament damage. 

I tell you all of this to tell you that God's hand was in this from the beginning. First of all, Jason was not alone up on his property. The explorer only fell to the side- it did not continue to roll. There are some very steep areas on that property. It is an incredible blessing that this did not occur in a steeper area where the explorer could have turned over multiple times. Jason was able to pull his hand out from under the truck and was not stuck under it. God's hand of protection was over Jason and C that day. My mom had also finished everything that she had to do that day in the morning. When I called, she was able to leave work without leaving anything unfinished. Jason's mom was running late to pick up our nephew when I called her. If she had been on time, she would have already had him with her and his dad would have had to come back to get him.

Jason has recovering to do, but I am so thankful for God's hand in this situation and his protection over Jason and C. I am also thankful for all of the prayers and support of our family and friends. Jason and I would appreciate continued prayers that his arm and hand will heal up properly and that there will be no nerve, tendon, or ligament damage.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)
"'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord. 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.'"



Thursday, February 7, 2013

The Plan

2 Timothy 1:9 (NLT)
"For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time- to show us his grace through Christ Jesus."

There is so much truth in this one verse! 
God saves us- not because we are deserving (no one is!). It was his plan from the beginning! He knew before creation that we would fall short, but He had a plan. A perfect plan- to show us His amazing grace and unfailing love through Christ. 

God's love is so incredible. Even in our sin (which He cannot stand because He is Holy), He sent Christ as a sacrifice for us, so we can be reconciled to Him.

Romans 5:8 (NLT)
"But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners."

Thank you, Lord, for your great love and plan for our redemption!

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Sunrise

One of the positives about working the night shift is that I'm often driving home as the sun rises. I have seen so many gorgeous skies over the last year. On Monday I had a dentist appointment after work, so I got some breakfast before I left the hospital. As I was walking down a hallway lined with windows, I happened to look out and see the sky. I was mesmerized. The sun was just coming up over the horizon, so it was still pretty dark higher up in the sky. The colors were amazing, such vivid reds and oranges. It was gorgeous! I had to go outside and try to make a picture. Unfortunately, none of the pictures I took with my iPhone even remotely captured the colors and amazing beauty. 

Panoramic Picture
The beautiful sunrise reminds me of these verses: 

Psalm 19:1 (NLT)
"The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship."

God is an incredible artist! The sky on Monday morning was just one of His masterpieces!

Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV)
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

Just like the sun comes up every morning to begin a new day, the Lord's mercy is new every morning. Each day a fresh start to give Him all the glory.


I am so thankful for the beauty of creation that reflects God's glory and for His new mercies and continued faithfulness.