| Miracles Still Happen!! |
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| Written by Charity Illig |
 A person once told me that in order to have a testimony you must first face and overcome a test, and sometimes God allows us to go through those tests to make us stronger to lean on Him. Of course we’re human so most of us have to try all other options before just letting Him take over, at least that’s what I did, and here’s why….The morning of April 29th, was just like any other Saturday for me. I got up took my shower, got ready, and headed out around 4:15 a.m. to get to work before the coffee drinkers. I had gotten about 5 or 6 miles when I came upon a deer and my instincts made me swerve. I overcorrected trying to get back on the road and hit a double covert. All I remember was waking up and I was covered in blood. I knew I had to get out and call somebody, but I couldn’t find my glasses, so I punched in redial and my mom answered. All I could say was “Mom, I’ve had an accident, I’m somewhere on Hwy 25, but I’m not sure where. It was a deer, and mom I’m so sorry” and then I lost signal. My parents arrived about 10 minutes later and as my mom called 9-1-1, I looked at my dad, raised up my skirt and said “Dad, I think my foots broke, am I okay?” he looked at me and then my mom with terror in his eye’s and said “ Oh my gosh Shelley, her bones out of her leg!” After that I don’t really remember much except the horrible pain in the ambulance and then waking up in the hospital after surgery with a metal rod holding my bone in place until the next surgery two days later to put in two 9 inch plates and 24 screws. The first time they took everything off of it to clean the incisions I about puked because it looked so bad. But that was just the beginning because about a month into it they told me that my bone wasn’t healing as they hoped and that I would never walk again. On top of that I had to start seeing a Plastic Surgeon too, because I had a hole in my leg that would whined up causing 7 out of my 9 surgeries. After a little while I just gave up hope and started questioning God. Why was I going through this? Why did I deserve it? I thought God cared about me! If He did He wouldn’t take something this important from me. Here I was 17, and it was the summer before my Senior Year and I was on bed rest for as long as we all knew. Well being mad at God turned into spite and anger. I didn’t even want to hear that someone was praying for me. If God loved me so much I wouldn’t be going through this, so apparently He didn’t really care after all. By now it was July and I was so depressed. I’d never felt so down and alone, so I decided to just take all my pain medicine and go to sleep. What was the point of living if I’d never be able to walk again and enjoy life? I would just be a burden to everyone who had to take care of me. It would be better off this way. Or at least that’s what I told myself and eventually believed. Amazingly as I gave up on God, He didn’t give up on me. On July 21st me and my older sister was on our way to church to practice a special presentation we were asked to make for our pastor’s 5th anniversary service. When we got it all done, the sign team came in and was practicing their new song they had just learnt. As the song started it was saying “I almost gave up, I was right in the middle of a breakthrough and couldn’t see it” that was as far as I got before I just started bawling. That night God showed back up and I finally felt peace for the first time since before the accident. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever walk, but I knew that no matter if I did or didn’t I’d be okay. God gave me this scripture and I held on to it from this night forward. Psalms 30:5 - For his anger endureth but a moment: in his favour is life: weeping may endureth for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. That next day we had the special service and it turned out great, nothing major happened, but I knew I felt good about the situation. When I woke up Sunday morning I felt great. I got to church and Bro. Coburn asked if I was ready to get up and walk, of course I said yes, but I wasn’t expecting anything. As the service started and progressed it was power packed and God was moving mightily, then when Bro Coburn started preaching, God was really dealing with me. At the end of the message he asked if anyone needed a miracle, and I knew what I had to do, so I wheeled myself to the front of the church. As we started praying and bawling, God told me to get up and walk. I felt it in my spirit and I heard it as plain as day. People kept saying “Charity, are you sure you need to do this, what if it isn’t God’s will and you get hurt even worse?” But I really believed it was God. Unbeknown to me Bro. Coburn asked my dad to help pick me up out of the wheelchair. Bro. Coburn on one side and my dad on the other they began to walk with me making my first steps in almost 4 months. A few seconds later they had both released me and I was walking by myself!!! I left the church walking that day and even left the wheelchair at church!!! It was so amazing, God healed me and all the pain and depression and hurt that I went through wasn’t for nothing. And if I can touch one person with my testimony and help one person get through any hard situation before hitting rock bottom like I did, it was well worth it. Now my life is pretty much normal. It is been a little over a year since the accident, yes I still have the metal in my leg and it gives me troubles from time to time, but I’m walking!! I graduated high school, recently got married, and I’m fixing to start college. If I can go through what I did and overcome it with God, then anyone can. PRAISE THE LORD!!! WE SERVE A MIRACLE WORKING GOD!!! Charity Illig |