(This is part of the article I wrote for incourage.me today. You can read the entire article by clicking here.)
The headache was overpowering. It pierced a small space just above my left ear and seemed to worsen as the days moved into weeks. At times, the pain made me dizzy, and I would trip or almost fall down the dorm stairs. I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t slow down. My sophomore year in college was a blur of joy and activity, and I didn’t want to make time to visit my doctor or to consider the somber possibilities.
But blindness has a way of stopping you.
While driving one night, I lost vision in my left eye. Then I finally admitted that I should seek medical attention. When I did, physicians said everything appeared to be fine. My vision returned, and none of the neurological tests had revealed the dark storm that was closing in on my future.
Two weeks later, I suffered a massive brainstem stroke that left me quadriplegic.
Imprisoned in my own body, I felt completely . . . helpless.
Because I could not speak, I prayed: “Lord, please use me, even now . . . when I cannot move. I know I have not lost my purpose here on earth, and You will be faithful to complete the good work You began in me.”
Praying was the only thing I could do.
So I set my mind to do that one thing well. I prayed for the nurses who cared for me in the Intensive Care Unit. I prayed for my family. I prayed for the friends who paced in the waiting room down the hall. I prayed for people I loved and people I didn’t even like. I prayed for anyone and everyone I could remember, even acquaintances I had only met once.
I didn’t realize it then, but I was giving my spiritual gift, even within the confines of paralysis …
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