Written by Pastor Shannon Foote
When my mom and I arrived at the hospital we were met by some ER
nurses who wanted us to give them some information to identify my dad. They asked us to go in a room off to the side
of the emergency room where we could speak privately about my dad, and the
Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office had already assigned a detective who wanted
to speak with us there. Sitting in that
room was the first time I had paused to allow the circumstances surrounding me
sink in. I began to feel very angry and
overwhelmed with that antagonizing “what if” scenario playing out in my
head. After a few minutes of answering
questions we were allowed to go where my dad was being cared for. I’ll never forget what it was like to see one
of the strongest, most capable men I have ever known laying there in such a
vulnerable state. Seeing him laying
there on that hospital bed in such a helpless condition and the realization that
someone had intentionally put him there only fueled this anger that had already
began to build inside of me!
After speaking with the doctors and the detective we learned that
he had been violently struck on the back, right side of his head and fell to
the ground causing a second point of impact just over his left ear. His skull had been fractured, and the blow accompanied
by consequent fall had caused 14 contusions around his brain. There was immediate swelling and intense pain
as a result of these injuries. He would
have to spend 7 days in LSU Trauma Center’s ICU and an additional 5 days in the
hospital recovering from this attack.
About 11pm that night, Jon and I realized that someone had to be
prepared to step in for my dad, Pastor Craig Foote, and preach the morning
service in less than 12 hours! We
decided that I would preach that next morning.
This proved to be much more difficult than I could have ever anticipated;
I could not prepare to preach a message from the Word of God with anger and animosity
in my heart. I went to the Lord that
night and begged Him for strength and for grace. I cannot explain it to you, but while I was
out there pleading with the Lord that anxiety and anger and fear that had
swelled up inside of me was just GONE!! I was able to get a few hours of sleep and
then go and teach my Bible class and preach the morning service with the right
Spirit in control. (KJB)Philippians 4:7 (And the
peace of God, which passeth all
understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.)
became very real to me through this event.
To be perfectly honest, on Monday morning I tried to regain those
feelings, but to no avail, because we have a loving Heavenly Father who even
protects us from ourselves.
We are all aware that life is often referred to as a race or a
journey. This is found to be true in
preaching, Scripture, and even in general teaching, so we can easily understand
the comparison between our lives and walking down a long winding road. There are many different applications which
may be applied and several lessons that can be learned from this illustration;
however, today I would like to focus on the idea of this journey more so than
the journey itself.
(KJB)Hebrews 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are
compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every
weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience
the race that is set before us,
If you are like me, when you think of a race, you probably see a
large oval track with several athletes racing around it. Maybe some bleachers or a stadium with several
fans cheering for the runners; possibly a concession stand with nachos,
popcorn, hotdogs, and candy, with a long line of people waiting to purchase
their “pre-game snack”. There is an
electric feeling that only intense competition can create; at an event like
this, it seems everyone can sense it!
Coaches are giving pep talks, parents and athletes are praying for good
fortune and safety, and everyone is enjoying their time at this sporting
event. With that idea in mind, it is
hard for me to compare that event to my life.
You see, at a track meet of this sort the only opposition to be dealt
with is the other runners who are trying to finish first, but in our lives we
have an adversary who is trying to take us out of the race. In the race of life we are not in competition
with anyone, though at times we may treat others as if we are.
That night in November my dad was physically hit and the rest of
my family and our church family was spiritually hit while running our
race. I call this “Full-contact Racing”
– our adversary is waiting for a moment of victory, when we let our guard down,
or a moment of weakness in our lives where he can swoop in and take us right
off of our feet. For those who are
weighed down with the desires of this world and by sins, these blows from the
devil will probably destroy their ability to immediately continue in their
race. My friend, (KJB)Romans 8:37 tells
us, ”…we are more than conquerors through
him that loved us. . We must be constantly aware of the fact that
there is a very real enemy whose goal is to destroy us, but we serve a God who
has already won the fight and in His strength we too will prevail!
I am so glad to be able to tell you that my dad has exceeded the
doctors expectation in his recovery every step of the way! They told him that it would be at least 6
months before he would be able to stand and preach again, but on Christmas
Sunday last year (just 5 weeks after his attack) my dad returned to his
pulpit! You see, Satan is out to destroy
and defeat us believer, but we do not have to run this race in our strength
because (KJB)Philippians 4:13 says, I can
do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
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