It's never too late

I want to tell you about a patient I had. I'll call him Tommy. Tommy had a heart attack, and had to have surgery. While he was in surgery, he had a bad stroke. No one thought he had a chance in making it out of the hospital alive, and if he did, they were sure he would be in bad, bad shape thereafter. He was in the hospital for weeks. While he was there, he ended up sharing a room with another man.

One day, the roommate had some visitors who came and prayed with the man. The visitors then came and prayed over Tommy, who was still on a breathing machine and unable to interact with the world around him, though he could hear what was going on. He told me later, "I know that God heard their prayers, because I am here now."

Tommy came to our facility for rehab, to help him learn to walk, to feed himself, and to do all of the daily activities that the rest of us take for granted. He shared his story with me, and I asked him if he wanted to join our small prayer group that meets in my office every morning. He was excited and gladly joined us. Tommy ended up accepting Jesus as his savior and was even baptized by the chaplain at our facility before he was discharged home.

Tommy's life was changed, and we were all blessed to watch the changes taking place. He was such an encouragement to the other patients. He would eat in our assist dining room, though he did not need assistance any longer. He would tell the other men at the table, "Joe, you gotta drink your juice. You aren't gonna get better if you don't drink." He worked hard at his own rehab and did everything he could to help the others get well, too.

Now, Tommy comes in twice a week to continue his rehab on an outpatient basis. After his therapy, he stops by my office, "Come on, Terri, it's time to pray." He has led us in some amazing prayers. He is more alive now than ever!

Then, a couple of weeks ago, I felt a strong urge to give him a copy of my latest book. I am not one to toot my own horn, and I don't push my books at my job, but I couldn't shake the thought that I needed to give him one. So I did.

Last week, he stopped by again, and reported to me that he was so thankful for the book, that it had changed his life. He recounted the years of abuse he had endured from his father, and how his sister would take him under her wing and care for him after the beatings. He had never thanked her, and he left home angry and bitter. He says that he was an angry man and had often taken it out on his wife and children. "No more," he said. "I understand now what happened, and God has healed my heart. I called my sister after all these years, and I was able to thank her. We are now able to talk and have a new relationship." He was so thankful for the words in the book, that God had, especially for him.

I learned a lot from him, too. I learned that God can use us to encourage others no matter what our circumstances. I learned that God doesn't give up on us, even if we waste many years following another path. What an awesome God!