Trusting God When You are in the Middle of a Story

One of the things I love to do is to look back on the stories of my life and “connect the dots.”

When I was 10 years old, I got a disease called St Vitus Dance and I had to start taking monthly penicillin shots and later penicillin pills daily until I would turn 22.

Getting those monthly injections made my life miserable. How I dreaded them! But I needed to trust God while I was in the middle of the story.

Would you believe that when I was applying for colleges, I qualified for a scholarship from Vocational Rehabilitation because of being on a daily medication?

And then four years later I graduated in May & turned 22 in July (and so no longer would have qualified!)

Here is what God promises: “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 NASB

That is a 12 year long story of a health trial and how God brought good from it for me in the form of scholarship aid.

I had to connect the dots.

Sometimes … well, oftentimes … okay, MOST of the time … we are in the middle of some story. Right?

I am in the middle of one right now.

My older sister was failing in health, in the hospital on a respirator 11 hours drive away from me. My other two siblings have been able to travel to her bedside several times from a 5 hour drive away.

The other day with the crisis peeking, I knew I needed to get down there if I was going to be able to see her before she died. So with my husband’s blessing, I hurriedly packed up the car and began the trip down.

Just about one hour after I set out I was on a 4 lane highway with lots of traffic in every lane when a beautiful deer decided to cross the highway.

All of us drivers slowed down and it looked like several cars would hit it before I got to it. I think it might have been side-swiped – not sure – but I ended up having a head on collision with the deer right in the middle lane!

My air bag deployed showering me with toxic chemicals. (Being the natural gal that I am, I had to throw that in for you.)

I was able to drive over to the left side of the highway and call 9-1-1.

Praise God for His protection because it could have been a multiple car/semi-truck pile up but it was just me, my little yaris, and the deer!

Fast forward: car might be totaled – we don’t know yet – something to do with the air bag deploying and the car being 6 years old. I hope not because it is a good little car.

I’m home recovering – my trip was aborted to see my dying sister. But I’m trusting in God’s sovereignty and rejoicing in His protection.

I must say – I still don’t know why He allowed this.

I kind of feel like He “appointed” that deer just like He “appointed” a big fish and then a worm for Jonah because I believe in God’s sovereignty.

But why?

I don’t know why. Was He preserving me from a worse accident down the road? I don’t know. I may never know.

But I trust Him. He knows the end from the beginning. He is faithful.

I am very thankful that I had a wonderful five day visit with my sister 4 months ago before all this happened.

Do you ever feel like you are still in the middle of a story not knowing exactly how God is going to bring good out of it?

Trust Him. He IS in control – even when we are still in the middle of the story.

Learn to connect the dots of God’s sovereignty in your life stories.

P.S. I tell the story of my childhood disease in more detail in my book “More Inspiring Stories with the Almighty’s Signature.” Check it out.

First published: October 2016

Updated: April 2023