My life has already been hard, and I'm only sixteen. Things I have gone through, people I've met and never saw again, have all piled on top of the pain of a life-changing accident I had at the age of six.
My dad owned some farmland in a little town in southwest Arizona. He had farming machines that I thought were amazing; I mean, who wouldn’t at that age? One day, after I had gotten my homework done, I asked my mom if I could ride with dad in what he called a "swather," which was a machine that cut farm grass, such as Alfalfa or Bermuda.
I rode my bike to where he was cutting and started to climb down the ditch to the field so I could get a ride. I stepped into a pile of cut grass but didn't see what was underneath it: a gopher hole. My foot went in deep, and my leg twisted and cracked. I couldn’t walk or even stand because I was in so much pain.
My dad stopped the machine and ran to me. I was crying so much. I even screamed when he tried to move me. He finally got my mom to pick me up and take me to the doctor. They found that I had seriously broken the tibia and the fibula in the lower part of my left leg. That was just the beginning of years of hospital visits and doctors’ appointments.
I had to give up sports and running, and the doctor said that I might have to give up walking, but he was determined not to let that happen. In the countless times I stayed in a hospital room for days, even weeks at a time, I did the one and only thing I could do: draw and write.
Recently, I was looking through my old notebooks, sketchbooks, notepads, folders, binders, and such, all filled with things I have written, drawn, or just created. It is hard to believe how much you can see a change in yourself as you look at things from your past. It's almost like looking back in time. Better than a picture that was taken, but it's also a little scary.
When I consider the journey I have gone through just to get to who I am today, and I can’t help but think that the accident was what kept me on track spiritually. All the times I asked God, "Why me?" I just had to remember that everything goes as planned, the way He had designed my life before I was born.
Jeremiah 29:11 says, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" Anything that you go through, any pain, any hurt, God will always be there. When you are sitting in the corner of your room, crying your eyes out, God is there. Even during thoughts of suicide or running away or inflicting damage on yourself, He is there.
Trust the plan that He has for you and have faith that He will come through. These events and pains will prepare you for what comes ahead. What happens in your future is why He allows the pain to happen today.
I don’t have a 12-step program to help you get out of your depression or your pain. But I can tell you that He will get you through the storm. Place your faith and trust in Him alone (Proverbs 3:5-6).
"...for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity..." —Proverbs 24:16
—Sparky
Sparky is a 16-year-old attending a private high school. A childhood injury limits his abilities, but God has used it to focus him onto His will. Sparky is a writer/poet with a novel in process. He's also a technology expert and loves to get into God's Word. Through many pains, addictions, and depression, God has saved him. He's thankful to be His servant forever.
