We have given God thanks for His faithfulness

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus — 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Just after midnight on July 5, 2013, my wife received a phone call that immediately woke us up. The voice on the other end of the line screamed, “Karrie, get to the hospital. Kade has been in a serious car wreck!”

Karrie and I were in Bozeman, Montana, with our daughter attending a week of wedding festivities for a friend. We had just come from a barn dance and were looking forward to the wedding the next day. When the phone rang, our lives and priorities quickly changed.

We checked out of our motel and began the journey home. Was Kade stable? Would he be okay? Did anyone else get hurt? A multitude of questions came to us as we drove through the dark of night.

We experienced emotions of both fear and anger. Kade had borrowed his sister’s vehicle, and now it was totaled. He wound up with it lying on top of his head. People had pushed it off of him in order to extract him from the wreckage.

I was so tired that I let my wife drive from Loma to Havre. I rarely let her drive when we’re together, but I was emotionally and physically drained.

We arrived at the Intensive Care Unit at Northern Montana Hospital and our son was alive and stable. The other people in the vehicle were going to be okay. Thank God.

Now what? The scars on his body remain and the costs have been consequential. Court dates, tickets, fines, classes, counseling sessions, revocation of a driver’s license, lawyer fees, increased insurance rates, lost work time, selling his pickup to pay for his sister’s car and some intense family discussions are part of the cost for making bad decisions.

In the midst of the past 18 months I have found myself so thankful. This is from a guy who was so angry and upset with his son that I could have finished him off myself. But God was faithful. He quickly reminded me that I could be changing Kade’s diaper for the rest of my life. Things could have been much worse. What if he had killed someone else? How could or how would we have made it through that?

I have learned that God does not give us more than we can handle through the power of the Holy Spirit. Our family is in a much better place emotionally than we were July 5, 2013. During this time we have given God thanks for His faithfulness all through this difficult experience. We are thankful for those who have helped and encouraged us, and we believe that God has a good plan for each of us.

I would not wish any family to have to go through our set of circumstances, but I can tell you that God is faithful. Our son has grown up quite a bit since that night. I think Karrie and I have grown up as well.

The things that used to be big issues are not so big now. When Kade leaves a mess in his room or doesn’t do exactly what his mom says, when she says it, we may still get upset, but we are thankful that he is still around.

I don’t know your specific circumstances or what you are going through right now, but I can tell you that God doesn’t love us more than He loves you. He will safely see you through your trials. Give thanks to Him. God Bless.