Thy Will Be Done

1 Peter 5:6-7 “Humble yourselves, then, under God’s mighty hand, so that he will lift you up in his own good time. Leave all your worries with him, because he cares for you.”

This is a verse that I have stumbled upon many times, but never really let it speak to me until recently. I can’t remember a time in my life when my Mom did not tell me… “If it is something we need, God will provide.” And I can’t remember a time in my life when God has not come through for me and for my family if we fully put our trust in His will and His perfect timing.

Let me preface this with a little background, for those who may not know my family so well. As my oldest brother once said..."It seems like another lifetime ago and yet it was an event that so adversely affected us that the effects are still around all these years later." The day was September 29, 1990. It was the day that changed my father’s life – and my family’s life forever. It was a typical day on the farm, except for the fact that my Mom was in Jeff City for a teacher workday. After lunch my Dad went back outside to work on the farm, but it wasn't long before a typical day turned into a nightmare for my family. My Dad was found with his left leg pinned under the bucket of a tractor. He was sent to SLU hospital where he underwent 7 surgeries in a week’s time – the final one was to amputate his left leg below the knee. During this time, we did not know if my father would live – but God had bigger plans for our family and my Dad came through the accident. Our small town parish and many strangers were a huge blessing in this time, and would prove to be a blessing for my family in the years to come as well.

My dad has had the same prosthetic leg for years now. (I think somewhere around 7ish, but as a horse trainer, para professional and Deacon of 2 parishes, that doesn't leave much time for resting!) It has been duct taped, glued and held together by who knows what. I have always been concerned about what could happen with a leg in this bad of shape, but even more so since pursuing a degree in Occupational Therapy the past couple of years. It has brought to the surface many things that I never thought about before. What if he falls? He isn’t as young as he used to be. This is my Dad we are talking about. I all of a sudden felt a very tiny fraction of what my parents go through when they worry about me. With that being said, I am sure Dad has gotten tired of me bugging him about getting a new leg – it became a frequent conversation during our every other day phone calls and my visits home. There was only one problem – insurance does not always cover more than one prosthetic in a person’s lifetime, and in our case vocational rehab was not willing to help pay for another leg at that time.

I know our God is an awesome God, so I turned to him with a desperate plea for help. I knew my parents could not bear the financial burden that would be placed upon them if they had to pay out of pocket for a new leg for my Dad. Another thing I learned in OT school – they are EXPENSIVE. For the past two years I prayed for a miracle – some way to help my parents out. I turned to a few close friends and asked them to pray as well, one of them being one of my longtime friend, Levi Rash. Levi is now a missionary in Boston, so we sometimes Skype with each other since the visits are so few and far between. One night while I was talking with Levi over Skype, I broke down. I told him I did not know how or if my prayer would ever be answered. Like he always does, he assured me that if it was God’s will it would happen. I just needed to be patient. He also promised to pray as well and encouraged me to turn to scripture to find peace with the situation.

This is where my happy ending begins to unravel. I moved back in with my parents in December to finish up my clinicals. One night, a man from our church called and asked if he could stop by the house. As soon as Mom got off the phone, I felt in my heart that God was about to answer my longtime prayer. He sat down with Mom and Pops and simply told him that he, along with other parishioners were concerned about the state of my father’s leg and they wanted to help with the cost – whatever it was. As I sat at the dinner table, overhearing their conversation I thought to myself – Does this man know how much it costs to go through the process of fitting my dad for a new leg? The story does not end there though. Dad went to vocational rehab to turn in the paperwork, get an estimate, etc. As it turns out, vocational rehab decided they were going to cover half the cost of the leg, with the other half being covered by the generous members of our parish. I am thankful, blessed, and humbled by the actions of the people of our small town church family. They have shown me multiple times in my 24 years of life what it is like to take care of our brothers and sisters in Christ. They have continually shown us God’s abundant love and showered us with His blessings. The following verse was a light for me during this time and has reminded me of all those who have once again been faithful to living out the Gospel of Jesus Christ through their love and actions. 

Holy Rosary and St. Stephen's (better known as "Swinkey") Parishes - you may be just a spot on the map off of Highway 24, but you will always and forever hold a special place in this girl's heart. 

Galations 6:2, 10 “Help carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will obey the law of Christ. So then, as often as we have the chance, we should do good to everyone, and especially to those who belong to our family in faith.”

Old leg!

New leg!