Yesterday was May 23rd.  Today is May 24th.  On my May 23rd, 2013 my wife’s mother, Joann, and my wife’s sister Aubrette were in a terrible car accident.  5 years ago, yesterday, was the anniversary of Joann’s death and the start of a very large uphill climb for Aubrette that included three broken vertebrae and months in the hospital.  Today, May 24th, would be Joann’s birthday.  She was 57 when she passed away.

“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭5:3-5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Since the day of “the accident” (as it’s known in our family), Aubrette has experienced many of the classic signs of going through the grieving process.  All of the family has, but hers have been heightened. I mean she was a fresh graduate from Kansas University, her mother and her were heading to Boulder to celebrate. Next thing she knows they are heading to the median going 80 mph down the interstate.  Both were ejected from the vehicle, the highway patrol say both of them possibly flew over 100 feet, but only one is alive.  The last five years for Aubrette have been a battle. We have tried to support her as she’s gone through all the steps of the grieving process denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.  Honestly, I’m not quite sure what step she is currently in, but, I do know that she has three sisters who got a hold of her 3 weeks ago and laid hands on her! It was a long one and it was spiritually deep, there were many tears and many laughs, but we are starting to see some of the effort put forth from that prayer session.  The verse above was sent to my wife and her sisters from Aubrette, about two days after the prayer session.  She’s starting to open up more and not be as isolated, and you can tell she’s talking to God again.

Men, I know each and every one of us has a story in our lives that should take us back to Romans 5:3-5.  In fact, we all probably have a few of them, so just know that the world we are currently in will have sufferings, but also know that our God who is with us through it all is right there to grieve with us, stand with us, and hold us through it all.  It may not seem like it at times, but He has a plan bigger than you could ever imagine.

When I stood by Aubrette’s bedside for the first time in an ICU room in Denver, I couldn’t think of a whole lot to say. But this came out, “Aubrette, I know this sounds crazy, but a few years from now I’m going to be jealous of you.  You are going to be the strongest person that I know, and I personally will not have a strength anywhere close to yours.”

Some of the strongest people I know I have been through some of the most difficult things in life: they had a suffering that produced perseverance, their perseverance produced character, and their character produced hope…and all of this came from a God that promises to never leave us!

M.I.T.T.

love, dlp