There are moments in life that occur and cause us to ask God why? On a summer day as I rode in the back of a speeding ambulance down a twisting mountain road in the foothills of Denver, Colorado in route to the hospital was one such moment. I laid there with my head strapped to a body board, my left arm, shoulder and leg stripped of a layer or two of skin -- I immediately recognized just how blessed I was and started thinking of this as an opportunity. If this sounds odd to you please continue reading my story.
I cannot tell you how many people have said "I am sorry" about the accident and every one of these conversations have turned into an opportunity to plant a seed by testifying about God's grace. I tell them "it is ok, I am very blessed" and I then go on to speak about God and His hand in our lives. I may not lead them to Christ in these conversations, but I am planting seeds and demonstrating my faith.
Allow me to explain the hidden blessing. I was enjoying a training ride with several of my teammates on a picture perfect Saturday morning in the foothills on July 15, 2006. While on a descent I missed the apex of a 90 degree off camber turn and struck a guardrail traveling 31 mph striking a wooden support beam with my head. The blessing is that I went down in gravel just before taking the full impact of the iron guardrail against my body, which could have resulted in broken legs, hips, pelvis, internal organ damage or worse.
It was apparent to my teammates that I was seriously injured and one later commented that he heard the impact and feared much worse. My broken collarbone took seven weeks to heal which was much faster than the emotional injuries once revealed they were by far more difficult to heal than my broken bones and torn skin.
I first had to overcome the profound sense of disappointment that the season for which I had trained with a tremendous level of personal commitment had suddenly ended. In addition, I would later discover that I would have to overcome a fear of the decent; I discovered this affliction on a ride in the same area eleven weeks after the accident. I felt really good on the climb but I was all brakes and slow speeds as my teammates flew down the twist and turns on the same roads that I had earlier crashed on. I am still working to overcome this although I will never again risk my life with bonsai descents in the Colorado Mountains.
From time to time I think about the accident and quickly realize how much worse it could have been and the experience has caused me to be a "little" more cautious in pursuing my adventures. I have much to lose and I want to be around to pursue my life's purpose, which is to add value to the lives of others in order to leave the world a better place. I think I am a smarter cyclist and more grateful person as a result of the experience. I have always believed that you should look for the silver lining in life's challenges and the accident provided a perfect opportunity for me to practice this belief.
God truly works in ways that cause us to marvel.
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