The Sharing Choice - Recycling Pain

"I yield myself to God to be used to bring this good news to others,
both by my example and my words."

In the course of any given day, we never stop to think if this day will be ‘the first day of the rest of my life’.  We go about our usual duties and live life in a normal fashion.  In Macon, Georgia, July 26, 1973 was a gorgeous, cloudless day, with blue skies everywhere. It became the first day of the rest of my life.

Ron and I had traveled in evangelistic ministries during the first ten years of our marriage.  We had never stopped long enough to establish a home life.  We were road-worn and desired a home, not only for us, but also for our two sons.  We had discovered a nice ‘fixer-upper’ house in the Macon area; a special friend in banking had helped make it possible for us to purchase this house.  All we had to do was some refurbishing and move in!

The morning of July 26, 1973, Ron and I jumped into an old borrowed van with no seat belts and headed off to the carpet store to purchase carpet for our new bungalow.  As we slowed down to turn into the parking lot, we were rear-ended by a commercial van going full speed.  When our van was hit, the steering locked up and we were thrown into an embankment, landing nose first into the bottom of a ravine.  I was thrown against the windshield and instantly knocked unconscious; catapulted 36 feet in the air, my body jerked back and forth, the windshield spinning through the air with me, then I landed in the center of the windshield on the ground.  Unconscious, I have no knowledge of what transpired immediately after the accident; nothing – until Ron turned me over to check for any sign of life.

God had miraculously spared my life, for which I give Him constant praise – every waking hour of every day.  I suffered from a severe curvature of my spine, my pelvis bone was tilted at a 60 degree angle, severe bruising, cuts, and lacerations over my entire body.  I still had to face my worst nightmare.

After one month of rehab and rest, it was time to come alive and hit the road again for another revival.  This meant getting all the laundry done, packing all the suitcases, and be in good voice for rehearsal before leaving.  During our rehearsal time, I began to recognize severe weakness in my vocal tones.  I was unable to reach the mid-tone notes which had been so easy to reach before.  I also realized my vocal resonance was no longer there!  Something was terribly wrong; I had no control of my tones or my resonance.  I began to panic!  It was as though a link from a very strong chain had been crushed and destroyed.

I struggled through revivals the rest of that year, each service emphasized that my singing voice had been totally destroyed.  I was also struggling with some of my speaking tones; some of my words were cut in half as I tried to speak normally.  What had happened to me in that accident?  How was I going to live this way for the rest of my life?

Those two questions daily bombarded my mind as I began seeking God’s Word, God’s voice, and God’s healing.  Every day I would search the scriptures, trying to find answers, reaching out to God like a helpless child who had been severely abused.  What would I do now?  How could God possibly use me in any capacity of ministry with my voice totally gone?  I was feeling like God had picked me up and thrown me against a brick wall, only to leave me laying there, struggling for life.

One day, during a time of prayer, God spoke to my heart to read Isaiah 40:31. ‘But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (KJV)  I began to dissect – study – this scripture in reference to the ‘eagle’.  I discovered that when the eagle grows weary and old, he loses vital feathers in his wings.  When this happens, he flies to the highest mountain and finds a quiet place to renew himself.  He will beat his wings against a rock until they bleed.  Then he stays in this quiet place, resting, until his wings grow new feathers that are fresh and strong.  Then he can soar to even greater heights.

I felt just like this eagle!  My wings had been destroyed; I was hurt and bleeding.  Yet in the depths of my soul, I was hearing the voice of the Lord giving me a promise of strength and hope: that I would run and not be weary, I would walk and not faint.

It has been 35 years since that auto accident.  I’ve shared my story to thousands.  There were many days and weeks of depression, embarrassment, lack of self worth, social regression, social rejection, and isolation.  However, through God’s grace, I have found the energy and the strength to reach out to others who were hurting and to be a lifeline of hope for them.   Even through my vocal impairment, God has allowed me to bring the good news to others both by my example and my words.

We are never more like God than when we ‘give’ and ‘share’ … not just with money or material things, but with our very being.  When we can go beyond our hurting and suffering and come to a place where we can say, ‘God, I desire to be the clay in your hands; to be molded and sculpted as you want me to be …’; it’s at that point that God will begin placing us exactly where He wants us to be.

All the pain and the hurt that I’ve encountered over the past 35 years has been a piece of cake compared to the insight into God’s Word and the rich blessings I have experienced through His Ministry.  I have added blessings through raising my sons, through loving friends and family, as well as reaching out while trying to make a difference in people’s lives.  I forgot what happened to ‘me’, and let God heal all my past hurts and heaviness when I put on a garment of praise.

No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a washtub or shoves it under the bed.  NO!  You set your lamp on a table so that those who enter the room can see their way.  We are not supposed to hide things, but to SHARE the good things that God has done for us!  Share your hurts with someone and allow God to use you through your pain and suffering.  God will cause you to soar to the highest heights of your life.

"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." 
     Matthew 5:10 (ML)

Diane Hamm

A Special Note to the Reader

If you have been moved or inspired by the words of this author,
please contact the CRC office at (615) 443-9953,
or by e-mail at crc.office@comcast.net

Find a small group here.

 For more information about Life's Healing Choices,
please contact Cedar Ridge Church at (615) 443-9953.

7104 Lebanon Road, Mt. Juliet, TN 37122 | Phone:  (615) 443-9953 | Email Us