I know… I know… I know what you’re all thinking as you read this.
DEB, WHY ON EARTH DIDN’T YOU TELL US ABOUT THIS SHORTLY AFTER IT HAPPENED??
The answer to that question is multifaceted.
First of all, I did not want to worry all of you (or cause any undue panic) until the injuries were further along in the healing process. There was, after all, nothing you could’ve done from the other side of the world. You may object that you could have been praying. My hope is that you are always praying for me, regardless of whether you hear specifics from me! Rest assured, many were praying for me here, as well. Actually, in my defense, several key people concurred with my decision to keep quiet.
Secondly, I needed some time to take it all in myself. If I can be honest, I’ve struggled a bit with depression over the incident. I would subconsciously attempt to reconstruct exactly what had happened. I played the “what if” game. What if I hadn’t decided to go around that gal at that exact moment? What if I hadn’t paused to smile at the ticket agent? What if I had decided to use the train, instead of a bus? And, naturally I also struggled with “Why?” I guess we all want to ask God why He allows painful things into our lives.
The Lord lovingly showed me this Scripture:
“Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history.”
-Isaiah 43:18 (Message)
And thirdly, when it was found that the wound was infected after three and a half weeks, I decided to further postpone telling you. I wanted to wait until I could give you a positive report.
The time has now come to ‘fess up. It seemed fitting to tell you in the context of my monthly prayer letter. It also seemed timely to associate it with my reflection on six years in Kenya.
DEB, WHY ON EARTH DIDN’T YOU TELL US ABOUT THIS SHORTLY AFTER IT HAPPENED??
The answer to that question is multifaceted.
First of all, I did not want to worry all of you (or cause any undue panic) until the injuries were further along in the healing process. There was, after all, nothing you could’ve done from the other side of the world. You may object that you could have been praying. My hope is that you are always praying for me, regardless of whether you hear specifics from me! Rest assured, many were praying for me here, as well. Actually, in my defense, several key people concurred with my decision to keep quiet.
Secondly, I needed some time to take it all in myself. If I can be honest, I’ve struggled a bit with depression over the incident. I would subconsciously attempt to reconstruct exactly what had happened. I played the “what if” game. What if I hadn’t decided to go around that gal at that exact moment? What if I hadn’t paused to smile at the ticket agent? What if I had decided to use the train, instead of a bus? And, naturally I also struggled with “Why?” I guess we all want to ask God why He allows painful things into our lives.
The Lord lovingly showed me this Scripture:
“Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history.”
-Isaiah 43:18 (Message)
And thirdly, when it was found that the wound was infected after three and a half weeks, I decided to further postpone telling you. I wanted to wait until I could give you a positive report.
The time has now come to ‘fess up. It seemed fitting to tell you in the context of my monthly prayer letter. It also seemed timely to associate it with my reflection on six years in Kenya.
1 comment:
What a story! Naomi sent me pictures... I can't imagine what that looked like in the days right after it happened!
I'm glad that you are well on your way to a full recovery - emotionallyl and physically!
--Lila
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