The Family of God During a Trial - Part 6 of "In His Arms"

Part 6 – The Family of God during a Trial


Just a couple of hours after I’d learned about John’s accident, I sat in an ICU waiting room with my brother Phil. We were going to see John for the first time in just a few minutes.

In walked Kay Day. I burst out crying as soon as I saw her. I stood and hugged her.

“You didn’t have to come.” I sobbed.

“Of course I did.” She replied.

Kay, as a former nurse, was invaluable to me to interpret medical jargon. She came back to the hospital many times in the next few days to just hang out with me or take me to lunch, despite her forty-five minute drive one way to reach me.

Kay is not only one of my best friends, she is also my sister in Christ. She, like many other folks in my family of followers of Jesus, came through for John and me over and over during those three months at the beginning of 2007.

I’ll never be able to repay all the countless kindnesses during that time. I’m not supposed to either. What I am called to do is look around for others who might need a kindness. Then, without hesitation, lend a hand.

At one point while John was in the ICU, my friend Jan wrote about me on her blog asking people to pray for me, in essence hold up my arms as Aaron and Hur had held up Moses’s during a battle. The same day my friend Michele called me and told me she was praying – she was holding up my arms. I said, “You read Jan’s blog?” She said, “No, why?” That night, my sister-in-law Kasey called me and said, “Robbie you don’t have to be the strongest person in the room. So many people are praying for you. They’re holding up your arms.” She doesn’t know Jan or Michele.

My family of God held up my arms and John’s arms and got us through.

I wrote an email update during those days about some of the kindnesses. I feel the best way to tell the story of the love for us during that horrible time is to just repeat what I wrote then.

• Someone loaned me a phone to call Colorado Highway Patrol when I got message on answering machine. (Our phones didn’t work!)

• Someone prayed with me immediately following that moment I received the news. That someone turned my focus toward God in the moment of my greatest fear.

• Someone stayed on the phone with me on the way to the hospital and prayed for me most of the way.

• Someone met me at the hospital and loved me. Purely with the love of Jesus.


• Someone surprised me at the hospital and stood beside me as I listened to the doctors. When all I heard was Waa, Waa, Waa John, she interpreted the medical terms.


• Someone called John’s boss and let his work know what happened.


• Someone sent me an email of support and encouragement. (There were MANY)


• Someone prayed that my beloved would be healed. (MANY!)


• Someone gave me strength on the phone. (MANY)


• Someone took care of my precious son when I had to be at the hospital.


• Someone told me about the John Zay house, a place I could stay for free, just across the street from the hospital.


• Someone laid his hand on John’s head and prayed for my husband, thanking God that John was a WARRIOR who would fight through this.


• Someone bought me dinner. Someone bought me lunch. Someone bought me dinner. Someone bought me lunch. Someone bought me…(You get the picture)


• Someone (a nurse) comforted me while John lay asleep on a ventilator.


• Someone (a nurse) told me that the hospital took in two other motorcycle accidents last Sunday. One died and one is in a coma with a severe, severe brain injury.


• Someone encouraged me to look to God and not the medical personnel.


• Someone encouraged me to peruse the traumatic brain injury pamphlets, lightly, and then put them AWAY.


• Someone visited me in the hospital with a goodie bag.


• Someone visited me and prayed with me and hugged me while I cried.


• Someone visited me and gave me gifts, including an envelope full of change for the vending machines.


• Someone visited me and asked what I needed. When I told them, they searched Colorado Springs for a Barnes and Noble and got me the exact book I wanted.


• Someone organized a play date for Noah and five of his friends.


• Someone drove my son up to see his Daddy.


• Someone emailed a friend who lived in Colorado Springs to pray for John and asked her to visit me.


• Someone, a woman I’d never met, and now a friend, visited me in the hospital.


• Someone encouraged me to go home and take care of myself for a while.


• Someone invited me to drink champagne with them for just a minute on New Years Eve, then prayed for John and toasted his healing.


• Someone took care of Scooby, my dog.


• Someone went with me to see John’s beat up motorcycle.


• Someone called me New Years Eve at 11:30 p.m waking me up. It turned out to be an incredible blessing as we talked and laughed and rang in the New Year together on the phone.


• Someone came to the hospital and made me laugh and laugh.


• Someone took initiative to get the paperwork for John’s time off and short term disability all fixed up.


• Someone brought me work papers to sign to start John’s short term disability at work.


• Someone used twitter and facebook to encourage me. (MANY)


• Someone organized a girls night out for me.


• Someone (5 beautiful women) drove to Colorado Springs and took me out for a girls night out.


• Someone offered to go pick up John’s mom.


• Someone picked up John’s mom from the airport and drove her to the hospital in a semi-blizzard.


• Someone went to my home to get my cell phone charger. (I left it there)


• Someone offered to buy me a new cell phone charger.


• Someone brought me and Noah gifts.


• Someone took my son to see a Nuggets game.


• Someone listened. And listened. And listened to me pour out my heart.


• Someone offered wisdom when I needed it.


• Someone rejoiced with me through emails and phone calls when John started to wake up, a little at a time. (MANY)


• Someone offered to pick up Noah from school next week and keep him until I get home. (Several neighborhood moms)


• Someone showed me that in a crisis, the family of God shows up to help. (MANY)


I’ll never be the same after being dipped, soaked and immersed in the love of God through my brothers and sisters.

(Come back Wednesday, December 22nd for Part 7 –"A whole new kind of pain – Rehab")