Thursday, August 26, 2010

Journey of Faith Friday: Surrender

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Surrender


One definition of surrender is to give oneself up into the power of another.  This is not a story of surrender in the truest since of the word and I'll never know if my request played a part in the result of this story; but one thing I know: I prayed a prayer for my dad, he surrendered, and my faith journey was forever impacted.

I was a sophomore in high school and in a season of life where I was striving to walk with Jesus, something I did very little of during my high school years.  Dad had been going to church with us for years.  It was strange to me.  Strange that he was not a Christian, because the man I called daddy had many "Christian" qualities.  It worried me.  I spent many prayers asking God to save my daddy.  One Sunday at the end of church, I walked up to the altar placing a piece of paper that read, "I pray my dad would come to know Jesus no matter what it takes."  I had no idea what I had written.

It was Friday December 15th, maybe 16th, I was dressed and ready to go, but my sister was running behind.  I was very frustrated.  I was yelling, "We have to go", among other things.  Finally, my dad said, "I'll take you and come back to get your mom."  It was raining and very dark.  I remember asking dad to slow down, but he was frustrated too.  We made it to the church.  In my red and black formal dress, I jumped out of the car and ran inside.  I was just in time for rehearsal.  A few minutes later my sister arrived, and I had few words for her.  It was our Christmas Honor Choir concert.  My sister was returning to sing with us, along with several other alumni, for the 15-year reunion.  We warmed up, sang a few songs, and were preparing to go out on stage when my mother, in a panicked state, came in the door saying, "Where is your sister?  Your dad has been in a bad car accident and is on his way to the Emergency Room!"  I remember being filled with FEAR.

We ran into the ER and there was my father moaning in pain, bloody, with machines hooked to him.  I looked under the covers (I wish I hadn't) and his legs were, well, crooked.  They were waiting for a helicopter to arrive, so they could air lift him to St. Mary's Hospital in Huntington.  Friends and family began pouring in.  People were circled up praying.  People were crying and asking how they could help.    We were in shock.  We were scared.  We were wondering if he would make it.

I remember watching him fly away.  I wondered if I would ever see my daddy again.  We arrived at St. Mary's.  Dad was taken in for emergency surgery to repair his broken legs and his crushed ankle.  Surgery was long.  He lost a lot of blood.  There was a lot of damage.  We were being told that if he made it, he may never walk again. He was on a ventilator.  He made it through surgery.  He had a NG tube (aka. feeding tube).  He was in an induced coma to help with pain control.  He had broken ribs, a lacerated liver, a punctured lung, a broken pelvis, two broken femurs, and a crushed talus (I hope I remembered everything correctly).

It was almost Christmas.  We prayed dad would come off the ventilator, as he had been improving daily.  It seemed like years since I had spoken to my dad, but it was only a few weeks.  Mom had taken sis and I to the mall, so that we could get out of the hospital.  It was Christmas Eve.  When we returned, dad was breathing on his own--no ventilator.  PRAISE the LORD!!

Dad continued to improve.  After months of physical therapy I watched him WALK down the aisle and surrender his life to Jesus.  I watched him CLIMB the steps and be baptized.

While my dad was in the hospital I remembered the "piece of paper" I laid on the altar.  I spent a lot of time in prayer those few weeks begging God to let my dad live.  I wondered if the accident had happened because of my prayer.  I can not speak for God, but one thing I know: the accident led to my dad's surrender and for that I am forever thankful.



Who or what have you surrendered to the LORD


and how did the LORD honor that which you surrendered?

Would you prayerfully consider sharing it with us today?
We would love to hear of God's work in your life.

If you'd like to share... enter the direct URL to your exact post in the link tool below
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I look forward to reading how you were blessed on your 
faith journey through the surrendering of something/someone to the LORD Jesus.

Thank you for sharing.

Next Friday: How has music impacted your faith journey?  
Consider sharing the lyrics of a song and how God used those lyrics to speak directly to your heart when you most needed them.   

Have a blessed day in the Lord Jesus!!






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5 comments:

Carolina said...

What an incredibly touching story. I'm sorry your dad had to go through all of that, but God does always look at the eternal and not the temporary. How incredible that he gave his life to Christ after that.

I've also felt guilty when I have prayed bold prayers like that before. I will tell you about that next time I see you.

And you should call this Journey of faith Thursday nights- he he he :)

Julia Cates said...

Story is really heart touching
Thanks for share
wedding songs

Faith Hope and Cherrytea said...

responding to both your Journey of Faith Fridays and Beki's Fingerprint Fridays ! double the faith ;) and more glory to God ~
would love to encourage more viewers reading ALL the stories linked - enlarging their faith and inspiriting the journeys of each other ...
thx for stopping by yesterday & taking time to comment !

Amy said...

Amber,

I really like this Journey of Faith Meme and will try to participate sometimes.

Thanks for sharing yours.

Amy @ Missional Mama

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing, Amber. This is a great example of surrender. I had a hard time picking a situation to write about without getting too personal. Thanks for putting together Journey of Faith Fridays... it has been a great experience putting a lot of these things into writing and sharing with others.