Broken but Thankful

The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones. – Isaiah 58:11

Let me tell you about Rose. 

Rose came to the United States almost a decade ago as an orphaned teenager from war ravaged Southern Sudan.  As one of the “Lost Girls,” she was dropped into Boulder with rudimentary English, and the expectation that she would soon be able to find work, pay rent, and attend school.  Quite a task for someone who didn’t really know how the appliances in her apartment worked.

It certainly wasn’t easy, but Rose threw herself into it.  Through a lot of hard work, and relying on God and other mentors, she graduated from the University of Colorado with two degrees and boundless optimism.  She had just started her “dream job,” as an academic advisor at a school in Ohio.  I can imagine that her vibrant confidence and against-all-odds life story was a unique inspiration to the college students she was mentoring.

Last week, as she drove to work on a two lane road through a thick fog, she was surprised to see the lights of an oncoming car in her lane.  She swerved hoping to miss the car but unfortunate he swerved too and their cars collided head on at high speed. 

When I was finally able to talk to Rose from her Intensive Care room, her first words were, “Why Laura? Why is this happening to me?” 

Since I can’t answer that million-dollar theology question – Why do bad things happen to good people?  All I could say was, “Rose, I’m so thankful you’re alive, and your mind wasn’t damaged!”

In a split second, giving thanks deleted the why question from our conversation. Rose replayed the dire scene from the highway crash. “Laura, I almost died but God saved me. I heard the EMTs saying that they were losing me. In that moment, I pleaded with God. It wasn’t my time. I want to see my child grow up. God answered my prayer, Laura. God is so good!”

I nodded and squeaked out as tears sled down my face. “He sure is Rose. God is so good! You are alive and we have so much to be thankful for.”

Thanking God gave our shocked hearts hope. Hope for the too-many-broken-bones to count, the metal plates in her ankle, leg, elbow and arm. We joked that the next time she goes through an airport, she’s going to set off every security alarm possible. A “Wake Up Call” of a different sort, those alarms will remind her to give God thanks and praise for saving her life.

In Isaiah, God promises to guide us continually, satisfy our souls in drought, and strengthen our bones (Isaiah 58:11). Rose’s life is a testimony of these promises. God satisfied her soul with His presence in the drought of Africa as a child. He guided her continually through college in the United States. Now she will need to trust God to strengthen her broken bones.  

Rose and I both know that God is faithful to keep His promises, particularly when we thank Him in advance for His loving care. Please join me in praying for Rose’s long road of recovery.

Who else can you ask God to heal and help this week at 3pm? It could be someone with a heart that needs healing, a relationship that needs restoring, or a body that needs rebuilding. Maybe it’s you that needs to be reminded that God guides you continually, satisfies your soul, and strengthens you today and every day of your life.

The Power of Giving God Thanks Will Ignite Your Faith and Change Your World

Thank You for Being a Part of the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Call Movement