Solutions to the Unbearable
Hello my friends,
Hope and pray you guys are doing ok and keeping your head up in this crazy, lost world. I know it’s been forever since you heard from me here. Sorry, I have just had to let this blog go as our work has expanded and increased immensely both in the US and abroad.
This year we traveled over 40,000 miles, to 615 new cities and places from schools, to youth centers, to correctional facilities, hospitals, homeless shelters and city centers. The amount of time and work it takes to keep up with the paperwork, authorization, travel, practical living, lodging, working to fund this as well as produce and distribute our content and develop our performance, has not allowed for much else:)
So grateful and privileged to get to touch so many people. But above all, at this moment I am grateful to be alive.
Our Christmas was certainly unforgettable, but not in the way you might think. I actually suffered a terrible accident and could have lost my life but for the mercy of God.
I was hiking early Christmas eve morning, like I do so many mornings. I love to get into the beauty of the mountains, to be alone, to workout, and just be with God. I had on my good hiking shoes, my back pack with emergency gear, plenty of water and extra coats. I made it to the top in good time, enjoyed the spectacular view and was heading down. I came to a switchback and slipped.
I lost my memory to the time of the fall. I can’t remember what led up to it our how I fell, but when I came too, I had a huge gash on my head, neck pain and saw helicopters over head. The hikers behind me said I fell over 200 feet and they had called in rescue. IT took two hours for them to find us after waving a neon hat. Then another two for them to get close enough due to the wind currents. Eventually they dropped a guy who hiked over to me, hooked me up to a harness and helped me hike over to a place where the helicopter could get to us. I will forever be deeply thankful to this entire rescue team and to the hikers who helped me.
They took us to an ambulance then the emergency room. It took 40 stitches to close up my head that was cut down to the bone and the cuts on my face. I thought this was the worst of it and I would be on my way home. Until a doctor came back with the results of the MRI scan and said I had fractured two vertebras in my neck. It was like time paused and everything dropped to slow motion as I tried to process that I had a broken neck. She was alarmed because they had been moving me around a good amount.
Well, to shorten this long story, I ended up needing surgery where they put a plate and five screws in my neck. The doctor did a complicated procedure where he went in through the front and moved the vocal cords so it hurt to talk for a while. But it went good and the alignment was right he said. I thank God for this very skilled doctor and that he was there to do the surgery, as well as for all the beautiful nurses in the ICU that took care of me.
I spent 5 days in the hospital. Also tore a lot of ligaments in my leg, and cut up my mouth and face.
Honestly, beyond the pain, what I am left with the most over this last week, had been just a great sense of joy and gratitude to my precious Father for rescuing me and being there every moment. God hears prayers guys! He really does. He is ever present and good and kind.
We have to realize that prayer is not the end, just the means to reach the heart of our Father. Sometimes you hear the nation join together in prayer, but then no mention of God, even when the prayer is answered. Think about asking someone you love for something, the way you would ask and the gratitude to them when they did what you asked. Jesus is a living person, He hears us and does things so that we come to Him.
Jesus suffered more and dealt with more pain than anyone ever. So He knows exactly what each of us go through. He bore the unbearable. Whether you are dealing with a serious injury or sickness, going through a divorce, battling addiction, watching a loved one suffer, whether you are in a prison, or a veteran dealing with PTSD, or carrying visible or invisible wounds. As an eye witness to the profound goodness and love of our Father I promise you that for every unbearable situation and pain, there are real, practice solutions in Jesus. You are not alone.
There is a certain thinking that if God is with us bad things won’t happen. And if bad things happen then God is mad at us or against us. That being “blessed” means everything is ok, we have a happy life and material blessings. But this is just so mistaken and not biblical. The world is full of suffering and life at times is just unbearable. But in our suffering and pain, the help and answers and comfort in Jesus are real and right there for us.
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One of the many things I take away from the accident I went through that I shared at the beginning of this blog, is not a "happy ever after" survival story. Nor a story about something bad, ending good or leaving a “bad place” and getting to a good place. I have a lot of pain and a long road ahead. But rather what I am learning is that in the middle of a bad place, right at that moment, surrounded with suffering and pain, we can find another place. A place IN Jesus that is so real and such a refuge, it supersedes the bad place.
Jesus said,“I have told you these things so that IN Me you may have peace, You will have suffering in this world Be courageous! I have conquered the world.: Jn.16:33. He said, “Abide in Me”… David constant talked about God as a “refuge”, a dwelling place, a tent, a shelter.. somewhere real to go to! That in the middle of our pain and suffering, no matter how bad and unbearable it is, there is a refuge, comfort and help in the arms of our Father.
A place that Jesus built not with the tools of good behavior, deep wisdom, moral conduct, created for the good people, who are sophisticated and worthy. But he built this place with 4 nails. With the tools of agony, suffering, pain, tears, rejection, injustice and abandonment. Created specifically for the broken. He said I am the door to this refuge. So warm and welcoming and real, that a women with 5 husbands, instantly felt loved and forgiven, not condemned. A wicked roman soldier, was instantly impacted just by the presence of Jesus. A thief who had done something so bad he deserved to be crucified, entered this “Place” in one second and was saved.
Jesus specifically designed His “Place” for you, knowing exactly what you would need the way you would need it. He saw your face there on the cross. Bearing the unbearable for you there and then, to make it here and now. So take heart my friend. Take courage. Never give up. You matter and are not forgotten.
As I will not be able to work for a while, my family set up a gofundme page to help with expenses and so we can continue to minister to so many in need. So very grateful for all the love, prayers and support shown. Just means so much. Thank you all and may the Lord Jesus bless you and carry you on the wings of grace.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/ruthworoniecki