You never expect the dreaded phone call that brings earth-shattering news. But your life can change in a moment.
I was cleaning up my kitchen this past August when my friend Becky called. “Come right away to the field. Curt’s been hit in the head with a softball and may need medical attention.”
My mind raced as I headed across town to the field where the church league was playing. I began to pray a desperate, nonsensical plea for God’s mercy on my husband that became a near-constant prayer for days.
When he was sixteen, Curt suffered a severe closed head injury playing indoor soccer. Doctors deemed his situation hopeless and his father had started shopping for a nursing home. God had a different plan. In time, Curt was able to re-learn everything, from walking and talking to reading, writing, and feeding himself. He returned to finish high school, attend college, and marry me. I always thought of him as a walking miracle. Then, two summers ago, he had another freak knock on the head, involving a shoe that came flying off a roller coaster, of all things!
That resulted in a slightly scary post-traumatic concussion requiring plenty of rest over a few weeks. Head injuries are accumulative. Curt’s been told by doctors that he must avoid getting hit on the head again. On this life-changing summer day, the other team threw the ball to get him out. They got him—right in the back of the head! Curt made it to the base, then fell to his knees and crashed forward, hitting his head again. After about thirty seconds, he came to and seemed completely lucid. “Let’s get back to the game. I’m fine!” Soon his team insisted he sit on the bench and ice his head. After about fifteen minutes, he seemed disconnected with his surroundings.
In the ER, the initial CT scan showed no bleeding or extreme swelling of the brain, but Curt was already in rapid decline. He was experiencing severe vision loss, his ears were ringing wildly, and he was completely mixed up. His long-term memory was locked up. He knew me as his wife; however, he had no memory of our daughter. His short-term memory was no better. Every ten seconds or so he’d ask, “What’s going on? What are we doing here?” He was upset and suspicious, his insistent questioning going on and on. His agitated condition remained unchanged for 77 hours. Tuesday night, unbeknownst to me, our church held a prayer vigil. A strong sense of God’s peace settled over Curt’s hospital room.
He calmed down immensely thereafter. Yet, the next few days only brought baby steps of progress. Confusion prevailed. Test upon inconclusive test was done. To make things worse, Curt developed blood clots in his lungs.Key medical professionals met with me explaining their concerns over Curt’s lack of progress. A doctor even used the dreaded “D” word: disability. I couldn’t stomach the taste of that word on my lips. Disabled? My thirty-five-year-old husband? I wanted them to be as invested in his recovery as I was. Forgive my lack of objectivity, but my husband is an exceptional person! He is a caring, godly man of integrity. God has given Curt an amazing ability to teach and preach Biblical truth in a clear, compelling manner.
“How could this happen to this man?” I was incredulous. “God, he is YOUR man. You called him here and our work has barely begun. How could this be Your plan?” We had moved to the Twin Ports area of northern Wisconsin the previous February from southeastern Wisconsin, where Curt had been a youth pastor. Now he was the pastor of North Bay Community Church in Superior.
Recent months had been spent getting acclimated and established, weaving our hearts and lives into the fabric of our church families and the community, and setting ministry goals. Curt and I were currently caught up in the momentum of fall planning, ready to burst with enthusiasm about God’s work. How could North Bay’s long-sought pastor be taken out of the game at this crucial point? How could all this be in vain? My stubborn mind couldn’t accept such a dire possibility.
Yet, all I had to fall back on was God’s grace and peace. “My ways are higher than your ways,” the Spirit reminded my anxious heart. When we are in the lowest chasms of tragedy, I believe God works through Scripture to minister to our broken, petrified souls. He brought to my mind 2 Cor. 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” He surrounded me with the outstanding support of our precious, prayerful church family. People around the globe were praying constantly for Curt.
Also Read:
- Understanding God: He is Quick and Dispassionate
- Nehemiah’s Leadership Playbook: Zeal
- He Was God Backed
- Saved from Idol Worship and Death
- An Easter Reflection
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