Life can change so fast.

I know that sounds cliche, but seriously…when something happens that makes you rethink your priorities, you almost can’t believe how much you took for granted.

Last night Cody and I were at Wishard half the night. Our friend R.D. got in a terrible lawnmower accident in which he was badly burned, broke his back, and for the time being, has caused him to lose feeling from the waist down. During our time in the Burn Center’s waiting room, at least 50 people shuffled in and out with a core group of friends and family staying put, running out to get snacks, ordering pizza, and praying together.

You would think something like this would render a family speechless. But R.D. was still cracking jokes when friends were finally able to go in and visit him (“I was just trying to shave my legs, I wanted to be like Michael Phelps) and his wife of five years handled herself so well…she was inspiring and already planning for their drastically-affected future.

I was humbled by how much everyone in that room wanted to lighten the burden of that family. Their daughter Kylie was staying at a family friend’s house…people were already asking how they could help practically and financially…and another friend was already making plans in his head to make R.D.’s house wheel-chair accessible, should that be a necessity down the road.

The sweetest moment of the night for me was when our pastor, Jeff, came back into the waiting room after spending time with R.D. and his wife. With tears in his eyes, he said that when Jill walked into the room, R.D. immediately put his hand up to touch her face and begged her to unwrap some of the gauze so she could kiss his face.

Last night was a clear picture of love to me. It spoke so loudly of the hope God offers in the midst of that big question: WHY? While God does not cause evil, nor has ever NEEDED evil to bring about His plan, He certainly has the power to use brokenness to bring about good. I overheard someone say that because of R.D.’s family deep faith, he knew that only good could come from this situation.

And already it has.

In times like this, I hope we remember that God is God. And He is love and life.

“And to the bruised and fallen; captives, bound and broken-hearted…
He is the Lord
By his stripes He’s paid our ransom, from His wounds we drink salvation…
He is the Lord…” Love Is Here, Tenth Avenue North

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of ALL COMFORT, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows…” 2 Corinthians 1