God's Protection

Marsha Countryman

From Jack: I have been married to my lovely wife, Marsha, for fifty-five years. During that time our love for each other has grown, and I appreciate her more today than ever. I have asked her to share about a time many years ago when she experienced God’s protection and His peace.

Many years ago when I was only nineteen years old, I was driving home from the children’s studio where I taught dance. I stopped at a stop sign and turned left. That was all I remembered when I woke up in an ambulance and a firefighter was asking me questions. I was feeling intense pain in my right leg, but I kept my eyes closed. I didn’t see—I didn’t want to see—what was going on, but I heard the men talking.

When I asked what had happened and why my leg hurt, he just said he had to put a wrap on my leg because I had been in a wreck. I told him to save my blood if there was bleeding because I was anemic. He chuckled and said he’d do that. Throughout the ride in the ambulance, I felt the peace of God: I knew I was in the capable hands of not only the firefighters but also my Lord.

The next thing I remember was waking up in a hospital bed. A sheet draped over an aluminum frame covered my lower body, but nothing was touching me. Having no idea of the extent of my injury, I started asking questions.

I learned that a lumber truck had been speeding when his brakes locked. He hit my driver’s side, and— seatbelt laws were not on the books at that time—I was thrown onto the street and in front of his locked wheels. I had rolled my long hair in huge plastic rollers because I had a date that night. Those rollers kept me from having my head bashed in, but I still got two black eyes. My right leg suffered the greatest amount of damage. Skin grafting was taken from my left thigh to try to piece my leg together, but the surgeon said it didn’t work too well since so much of my muscle had been torn away when I went sliding on the asphalt. I stayed in the hospital for three months, and the doctors used some special baths to help with healing. In the mornings some type of oil was mixed into the water, and in the evenings vinegar was added instead. I laughed when the nurses would say that I smelled like a salad.

I didn’t experience any fear when I was in the hospital because I felt God’s peace covering me. I just took one day at a time—and didn’t look in a mirror until I had been there for about a month. I wasn’t scared and I hadn’t really cried until the day my surgeon came to discuss my situation. He explained that he was happy with how my leg was coming along and admitted that at one time he thought he might need to amputate my leg from the knee down if the site of the injury became infected! I started crying at those words! When he asked why I was crying when I hadn’t cried before, I explained that I hadn’t known just how bad off I was. The doctor was very kind and gave me a hug. He told me not to worry and reassured me that I was going to be okay.

I was able to start exercising slowly and had to walk with a stiff right leg for many weeks so I wouldn’t damage my healing knee. As time went on, I started taking special ballet lessons to lengthen and strengthen my calf muscle.

Today, I sometimes forget which leg was damaged. And when someone asks me about my scar, I say, “I am so glad you asked. Let me tell you how God protected me in a car accident.”

Reflection

We give God glory when we tell of His good deeds on behalf of His people. What example of His protecting you will you share this week—and with whom?