“So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the LORD!” Psalm 31:24 (NLT)
I once felt as though life wasn’t worth living. As a teenage quadriplegic, I looked down at my useless legs and limp hands and wanted to give up. Without thinking of their feelings, I begged my girlfriends to help me “do myself in.”
Thankfully, they stepped away from my suicidal demands, but they didn’t abandon their hopeless friend. Instead, they prayed for me. They chose to journey alongside and help pull me out of my deep depression. These Christian friends imparted hope through their up-close-and-personal care for me, and they kept me connected to reality — and to life.
I am forever grateful that the doctors who attended to me after my diving accident still held to the Hippocratic Oath of “do no harm.” Even though medically, they could not give me back the use of my hands or legs, my doctors did everything they could to preserve my life. They even heartily applauded my Christian friends when they saw the difference their love made in my life.
It’s a deep, personal interest of mine to hold fast to God’s sovereignty. Quadriplegia, two battles with cancer, and chronic pain have all forced me to bolster my confidence with the same assurance we give the people we serve through Joni and Friends: The world belongs to Almighty God. As Christians, our confidence rests in His plan and purposes. [ more...]
“So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the LORD!” Psalm 31:24 (NLT)
I once felt as though life wasn’t worth living. As a teenage quadriplegic, I looked down at my useless legs and limp hands and wanted to give up. Without thinking of their feelings, I begged my girlfriends to help me “do myself in.”
Thankfully, they stepped away from my suicidal demands, but they didn’t abandon their hopeless friend. Instead, they prayed for me. They chose to journey alongside and help pull me out of my deep depression. These Christian friends imparted hope through their up-close-and-personal care for me, and they kept me connected to reality — and to life.
I am forever grateful that the doctors who attended to me after my diving accident still held to the Hippocratic Oath of “do no harm.” Even though medically, they could not give me back the use of my hands or legs, my doctors did everything they could to preserve my life. They even heartily applauded my Christian friends when they saw the difference their love made in my life.
It’s a deep, personal interest of mine to hold fast to God’s sovereignty. Quadriplegia, two battles with cancer, and chronic pain have all forced me to bolster my confidence with the same assurance we give the people we serve through Joni and Friends: The world belongs to Almighty God. As Christians, our confidence rests in His plan and purposes. [ more...]
