Jesus is For Real

The back seat windows were covered in a film of fog as the teenage daughter mindlessly scribbled a game of tic-tac-toe on the glass. Holiday music could be heard throughout the car reminding everyone it was Christmas Day, 1967.  This family of seven, ranging in age from six months to 37 years, was embarking on a journey that would change their lives forever.  They decided to do something a little different this year which is why, after opening gifts that morning, they tumbled into the car for their first Christmas dinner at a fancy restaurant thirty miles away.  Unbeknownst to them, Life would never be the same again.  Minutes before they reached their destination, they were struck head-on by a drunk driver who blew through a stop sign at high speed. Both cars slammed together creating a tailspin that released them in opposite directions.  Witnesses from a nearby motel came pouring out to the wreckage dragging the injured bodies of five crying children onto the ground where they were covered in warming blankets until help arrived.  Both parents, in critical condition, were rushed by ambulance to the local hospital in a race against time.  The unharmed middle-aged drunk driver paced back and forth muttering, “What have I done?  In God’s name, what have I done?”


Hours later, once intermittent  x-rays were taken, family members were sporadically admitted into different rooms due to an already overcrowded situation. The 13 year-old daughter was gurneyed  into the hospital Supply Closet across from the third floor Nurses Station due to a shortage of rooms available.  Tears were shed uncontrollably as countless terrified questions went unanswered.  Were her legs broken?  Would she ever walk again?  Where was her family?  Did her parents survive?  And her siblings?  The last image of her father pictured him slumped unconsciously over the steering wheel bleeding profusely from the forehead. And her mother?  Could anyone survive after plunging headlong through the windshield?  What about her six-month old sister?  Was she still alive?  There were no baby car seats or safety belts at that time. 

In the darkness of terror, the depth of pain, and the isolation of doubt, she focused her blurry wet eyes pass the blood-stained bandages covering her crushed kneecaps.  Across the room, through a haze of salty tears, the questions calmly subsided.  The frightened sound of her pounding heartbeat slowly diminished and was replaced with the tranquil words, “Fear Not!”.  In a direct line of vision, nailed to the wall of this rural Catholic Hospital, hung a shiny white crucifix reminding her of Jesus’ eternal love.  At that moment the comforting lyrics of the beloved Sunday School song came pouring from her lips.  Softly and steadily, in a broken fragile voice, she sang, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” over and over again until she fell asleep. 

“What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!”

When God entered her heart this day, she knew He was for real. Four months later, with her entire family in attendance, she confirmed her faith on Palm Sunday and embarked on the spiritual walk of a lifetime. 

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