Today, February 18, I am rejoicing in this life I have been given--this "second chance" on life. On this day when I was 17, I survived a terrible car accident which resulted in a Traumatic Brain Injury and coma.

Though many years have passed, I still wake up on this anniversary of the accident with thankfulness simply for the fact that "today I woke up!"

And…

I sat up, walked, showered, dressed, spoke, and ate independently! I was able to relate to others with confidence and decorum. Today I have the ability to run a business with my husband, to serve others, to live a functional life and raise two amazing children. I am even able to run half marathons and have trained for at least a half dozen. Goodness, I even can clean my house without assistance. That is something for which to be thankful, too; it's all a matter of perspective!

Though I wake up to this reality today, there were months, years even, of difficulty and isolation. I survived the accident; however, I faced a long, difficult recovery: physically, cognitively and relationally. I recovered physical abilities through a lot of determination and hard work. I re-learned how to talk, eat, tie my shoe, read, walk, run. However, the cognitive and psychosocial recovery was much more slow, much more unseen, much more painful. When I returned to school for my senior year, I was unable to relate to my classmates and friends at an age-appropriate level. I faced rejection, loneliness and misunderstanding. My senior year of high school was the most difficult year of my life.

But in the times of darkness and pain, I clung to HOPE.

Do you face pain, sadness, rejection, sickness? Though it is so easy to live in the moment--to dwell in the pain--keep looking ahead! This is Hope!

Hope, however, based solely in positive thinking or expectation, only circles back around to self-focus and can easily be distorted. This temporal hope may aid in moving toward a goal, but Hope Eternal moves toward and beyond a goal.

Hope Eternal is based upon the only Eternal One, who intimately knows our pain. The Eternal One who does not change. The One who will forgive, heal and prepare a future for us. The One who has plans which, though incomprehensible, are beyond our greatest expectations. This Eternal Hope is found in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Every single breath, every beat of my heart is given by His grace.

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. For we know that if the earthly [body] we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands” (2 Corinthians 4:16-5:1).

Truth be told, if on February 18, 1995 I had died, the Eternal Hope I clung to even then would have created for me a glorious end. Though no longer on earth, I would be truly alive today, in my Eternal Home in heaven. This day, however, I live a blessed life here on earth. This day I am eternally thankful. This day I have an Eternal Hope!

I share these thoughts with expectation that they may provide needed encouragement for others who face difficulty. It would be my pleasure to listen to any challenge you face and to share more about the hope that can be found in Christ. Please don’t hesitate to contact me privately.

May God be glorified as I live each day in the blessings he has given!