“You’ll never walk again.”
That’s what a doctor told author Eva Whittington Self only a few months before her high school graduation, after she was paralyzed in a car accident.
She was driving along a snowy country road one night when she rounded a curve and had to swerve to miss another car coming toward her. She lost control, and her car crashed through a bridge railing and disappeared over the edge. In the wreckage below, Eva remained conscious and knew she had lost all feeling in her legs.
At the hospital, doctors prepped Eva for surgery to fuse together vertebrae in her back. She had so many questions she didn’t know which one to ask first. She started with, “When will I walk again?”
“Never, Eva,” he said. “You’ll never walk again.”
After he left the room, Eva screamed as loud as she could, “Why, God? What have I done that’s so terrible to deserve this?”
Eva lost more than the use of her legs that day. She lost her will to live. Every night, she hoped she’d die in her sleep. Soon, she became so depressed that she tried to commit suicide twice.
Fortunately, as the months and years unfolded, Eva encountered the truth of God’s presence in suffering in a way that few of us have experienced. She discovered that He is able to take awful, broken things, and shape them into something He uses for His glory and for our good.
On the next Focus on the Family Broadcast “Renewing My Heart,” we’re sharing a message by Eva recorded at a Focus on the Family “Renewing the Heart” event in San Antonio, TX. She describes the devastating consequences of her car accident when she was 17 and explains how the Lord rescued her out of her pit of despair.
Eva’s talk is filled with fun and laughter and will encourage you to see God in the midst of your troubles. Join us for our program on your local radio station, online, on iTunes, via Podcast, or on our free phone app.
If you know of anyone who might be having suicidal feelings like the ones Eva expressed, call our counselors at 1-800-A-FAMILY (232-6459). Also, explore our FREE web-based resource called Alive to Thrive: A Biblical Guide to Preventing Teen Suicide.
Alive to Thrive is a free six-session program that includes video interviews with experts and roundtable discussions on how to prevent suicide. It is specifically designed to help you reach your children, tweens, and teens. It also includes interviews with suicide survivors and provides hope to kids in troubling situations. Best of all, this is a digital resource that we can put into your hands today. Check our website for full details.
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Jim Daly is a husband, father and President of Focus on the Family and host of its National Radio Hall of Fame broadcast. His blog, Daly Focus, is full of timely commentary and wisdom designed to help you navigate and understand today’s culture. His latest book is Marriage Done Right.
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