THAT WAS GOD
So….Where is God?
Ever had one of those moments when you wake up in the middle of the night with the distinct feeling that God is telling you to do something completely out of your comfort zone? That’s exactly what’s been happening to me at about 3:15 - 3:30 a.m. every night for the past couple of weeks. God was making it clear that I have a testimony that needs to be shared.
I’ve actually been asked to tell my story several times before, but I’ve always declined, being basically a pretty private person, plus also knowing getting up in front of people would overwhelm me emotionally.
For those who don’t know me, I’ve been attending Heritage since about 1987, became a member in 1990, and have been on staff since 2004. I’m currently the Office Manager. If you attend the 9am service and wonder why I’m always sitting right smack dab in your way when you are trying to get in and out of the sanctuary, it’s because I have a hard time getting up the sanctuary incline, and when I do, I’m afraid that if my legs or wheelchair brakes give out I’ll go flying down the center aisle like an Olympic snow ski jumper, face planting right into the altar! OK, maybe a bit dramatic, but a great visual! Actually, I prefer staying behind the scenes, being front and center is not my thing.
But… here I am, sharing my story.
On Thursday, August 30, 2007, I was splitting my time between being the assistant to our Associate Pastor, Steve Ezra and working with Janean Briseno in the Children’s Ministry area. I left work to go home for a lunch break. While heading east on State Road 580—just past McMullen Booth Road—a car tried to pass me in the right lane. What the driver didn’t see was that a stalled truck was blocking that lane, so to avoid a collision, they swerved left—straight towards me, running me off the road.
Their car forced mine past the left lane, across the center median, through the three westbound lanes, and into a telephone pole and chain-link fence. My car was crushed. It took first responders an hour and a half to cut through the fence and car using the Jaws of Life to extract me. I was airlifted to Bayfront Medical Trauma Center with life-threatening injuries.
Here’s what I was facing:
10 broken ribs
A broken clavicle
A punctured lung
A broken right femur and fibula
A crushed left pelvis and femur
A medically induced coma
MRSA infection
19 surgeries
Multiple hospitalizations
And a lifelong sentence of being wheelchair-bound
So, where was God in all of this?
EVERYWHERE.
When my car hit the telephone pole, both of my hands were pinned between the steering wheel and dashboard. I couldn’t turn off the ignition. I fully expected the car to explode—but it didn’t. It stayed running until First Responders arrived and shut it off. That was God.
I truly believed I would die before they got me out of the wreckage, but I felt no pain. No fear. Just complete calm and peace. That was God.
Anyone familiar with that intersection knows how busy it is. But at that moment? No cars were coming in the opposite direction. None. Zero. Zilch. Nada. That’s not just luck. That was God.
About 85 percent of my body was broken, sprained or had major contusions, but I had absolutely no facial, head or spinal cord injuries. That was God.
All my lifelong injuries are on my left side, allowing me to drive and have a pretty normal life. That was God.
Word spread fast, cards, letters and prayers came pouring in—from churches and small groups across the U.S. and even the world. Many people I’ve never met nor have any idea how they heard about my accident reached out to me. That showed me the incredible power of prayer. That was God.
I’ve felt love and support from my Heritage family every step of the way—through cards, letters, texts, meals, prayers, compassion, encouragement, and constant kindness were continually offered. That was God.
And I’m especially thankful for my co-workers. They've allowed me to keep doing a job I love by helping me get in and out of the building every single day and none of them have ever complained or made me feel awkward. Poor Janean Briseno has done this almost daily for 18 years or…9,360 times! After retiring from a very rewarding 35-year career, God placed me in the perfect “retirement” job—right here where I needed to be in this stage of my life. That is no accident. That is God.
While I was recovering my daughter started having leg issues that could not be diagnosed until she collapsed and was it was determined that she had Gillian-Barre Syndrome. Within 48 hours she became paralyzed from the neck down. Basically, living in a broken body, unable to do anything for herself. I had just started driving again so I was able to be at the hospital with her for each meal and to help her with basic needs until she could re-learn how to do the simplest tasks we all take for granted. At the same time, her twin sister was also diagnosed with the same disease and was starting down the same path, facing the same challenges.
The timeline of my recovery, starting to drive again after a year and a half and then my daughter’s illnesses all fell in perfect alignment to allow me to be there and help my girls in their time of excessive need. The timing of these events was no mistake. That was God.
A couple years ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a mastectomy, spending the night in the hospital. It turned out my roommate was one of my old friends and co-workers from when we were young moms with babies & young children. We ended up spending the entire night reconnecting and talking about our families, old friends and good times. It kept our minds off the stress and seriousness of our situations. That was God.
My daughter had recovered most of her functionality and returned to living a pretty normal life. Four years ago, she came home from work — happy, excited about how things were going, laughing about the goofiness of the day. She ate dinner, relaxed, and had no idea what was about to happen. None of us did.
She died during the night. I found her.
There is nothing more horrific for a parent than outliving their child. And yet — this may sound strange — finding her was a blessing I’m forever grateful for. She looked like she was peacefully sleeping, still holding the TV remote in her hands. Knowing she would have surely dropped the remote if she had suffered any pain or trauma, that image gave me absolute peace and comfort.
She passed the way we all wish to go — without a long, terminal illness, without fear, without anxiety, without pain or trauma. She simply went to sleep and peacefully went home to Jesus. My heart is irretrievably broken that she is no longer here, but at the same time, I have an overwhelming peace knowing she is with Jesus — and she is good… oh, so good. How did I make it through this with such peace and comfort? That was God.
We all face storms and challenges in life — many of them completely out of our control, but we’ve also been given the miraculous gift of faith, and with it, the ability to choose our attitude in the midst of those moments. And… who gave us those gifts? That was God!
