Doctors told me to prepare for a long road ahead. Though they were baffled over the severity of Curt’s condition, they saw no reason Curt shouldn’t recover over time. His vision and hearing were improved. But this unexplained fainting, excruciating headache, and relentless confusion persisted. The doctors made one thing clear: this rehab would be a marathon, not a sprint.
On day six, Curt was ready to move to a rehab hospital. There, the intake staff established their goal: helping Curt to function well enough to live at home again. I was appalled. My goal was complete restoration to his ministry and life as we knew it! They let me know that I needed to adjust my expectations. Later this same day Curt revealed, somewhat conspiratorially, that he figured out that when people were praying for him, he should close his eyes and be quiet.
What a devastating revelation! Curt was experiencing a total disconnect from spiritual concepts. He asked me what God was, wanting an explanation. My words didn’t seem to sink in at all. As his supper arrived, I left him and headed home to sleep in my own bed again. That night was one of my lowest points ever.
The next day marked one week after the softball hit. My sister, Kristi, and her mother-in-law, Cheri, accompanied me to see Curt. He did not recognize them. I felt an urging that Curt should hear Scripture and asked Cheri to read. We chose 1 Peter, since Curt had been studying that book most recently. As Cheri read, Curt’s countenance and demeanor changed before our eyes. Suddenly, his expression looked “alive.” I could tell he wanted to say something. “By His wounds we are healed. By His wounds we are healed.” Curt continued to repeat this passage. I was filled with astonishment at Curt’s attentiveness. I asked him what he knew about God. Curt replied that God was “the Creator and Sustainer of Life, the First Person of the Trinity.” These theological words were astounding, coming from a man who didn’t know what a shower was the day before!
“What about Jesus?” I quizzed him.
“He is the Second Person of the Trinity, the propitiation for our sins.” Curt went on to perfectly quote John 1:1-4.
Cheri told Curt she had been praying that the Holy Spirit would bring back to his remembrance all that he had been taught. “The Comforter,” Curt said, matter-of-factly.
We women sat wiping away tears, while Curt couldn’t understand what the fuss was all about. He tells people now, “I have no memory of that week at the hospital. It’s as if I was taking a long nap and just woke up.” Yet, we had just witnessed the powerful living Word of God work in my husband’s brain, restoring his awareness and memory. We felt like we were in a sacred place.
Curt went on to relay other facts that had previously been missing from his memory. The warmth and brightness of his personality was intact, along with his celebrated sense of humor.
After more weekend rest, Curt returned home on Monday, August 20. It was obvious to the therapists, doctors, and nurses that his recovery was abrupt and remarkable. We freely shared with them the story of reading the Bible to Curt. They listened, but seemed hesitant to own the possibility of a true miracle. They said things like, “This kind of recovery is highly unusual,” and “Congratulations, we never see this!” Be assured, I lived every uncertain moment of that frightening week, and I know that Curt was touched distinctively by God’s power. May God be praised for the wonders He has performed!
Each day since, we have a fresh appreciation for the blessing of being healthy and home together as a family. Through all of this, our church family has developed a strong reliance on the power of God through prayer. “That head injury was the best sermon I could have ever preached about prayer,” Curt often says, laughingly. When he returned to the pulpit a couple of weeks after the hospitalization, he challenged our congregation to shift all of their focused prayer for his recovery to intense prayer for their unsaved friends, neighbors, and co-workers. Since that time, our small, struggling church has tripled in size and has experienced a great rekindling of faith.
We all go through times of trials. The miracle my family experienced was a true, clear blessing from the hand of God. However, most of the time there is no miraculous ending to life’s tough stories. The important part of a trial isn’t the ending itself, but the way we conduct ourselves through those painful, uncertain times. If we marinate our hearts in God’s Word during normal seasons, then the Holy Spirit will bring those words of comfort to our recollection when the storm hits. In our dark, human sufferings, we experience God’s strength by inviting Him to carry us and lead us. That’s when faith shines!
Meditation: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” – John 1:1-4
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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