TITLE: Even the Elect: an account of spiritual abuse chapter 1/part 1 By Debbi Migit 06/17/14 |
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
SEND ARTICLE TO A FRIEND |
I turned the key in the ignition and glanced over my shoulder as I began to back the car out of the driveway.
Alex's car seat was in my line of sight and what I saw made me slam on the brakes. Turning off the car , I was out in a flash, opening the back door and frantically working at the buckle of the seat belt.
"Help me!" I screamed as I pulled Alex from the seat. I held my shaking baby as he convulsed with what I would later learn was a grand mal seizure. Laying him gently on the ground I began to cry, "Please, someone, please help me!" I had never seen a seizure before, and at first I was afraid Alex was having an allergic reaction to an insect bite. I was terrified that he would die right there in my arms.
The woman who owned the house came running and held out a handheld phone. I quickly dialed 911 and gave the address, then watched helplessly as Alex continued to convulse. Panic seized me and after a moment I realized I had been praying out loud. Several people gathered around and tried to offer advice, which included laying Alex on his side, which we did. A moment later a man appeared and pushed his way through the small group surrounding us.
"I'm an EMT," he said and his uniform confirmed that fact. I was confused. I had just called 911 less than two minutes before and there was no ambulance in sight, although I could hear a faint echo of approaching sirens. Where had this man come from? He saw my confusion and as he knelt next to Alex, he quickly explained, "I live across the street. I was home for lunch, and I heard the call on my scanner. I looked out the window and saw what was happening and came right over." As the EMT worked over my son, I felt the grip of fear release just a bit. Surely this was not a coincidence! God was watching over my baby and had arranged for this man to be home and available just when we needed him.
While they worked I tried to call my husband, Phil. There was no answer, so I called my friend, Barb and asked her to try and reach Phil. Barb and her husband, Gary, were our pastors; Gary was also employed by our auto body shop. I knew that somehow they would find Phil and tell him to come to the hospital.
The ambulance rolled up and Alex and I were quickly on the way to the hospital. The seizure was still in process. After a moment on the road I heard Alex begin to cry and the driver glanced at me where I sat in
the front seat. "That's a good sign." he said simply. The seizure was over.
Within moments we were ushered into the Children's Hospital and Alex was being cared for by the doctors and nurses. A kind woman approached me as I sat in shock and said, "There is someone here who is looking for you." I saw Jack, who was also a part of our church plant team. He came over and explained that he and Gary had been having lunch together when Barb called with the message about Alex. Gary had gone to find Phil and Jack had raced over to meet me at the hospital. A moment later I saw my husband walking toward us and I went to tell him what had happened.
"I was having lunch at home when Gary came to tell me to go to the hospital." Phil said. "I even heard the sirens. Do you know what happened? Is Alex ok?"
A doctor approached and explained that Alex was being taken to have a CT scan of his brain. He offered to walk with us and said, "At this point we don't have any answers. We do know he had a grand mal seizure, but he came out of it on his own, without medication, so that is good. The CT scan will tell us more." He ushered us into the room where our baby lay, looking so small and vulnerable. Alex was sleeping and the doctor explained that was very normal after such a seizure.
Within an hour, Alex had been moved to a room and I was given a bed next to his. This was to be my home for the next three days. The only time I left was when I went to the tiny chapel just down the hall.
About 7:00 pm that evening, Phil came into the room and said that our pastors, Gary and Barb, were on their way to see us. I breathed a sigh of relief. I had been crying out to God all day, asking what was happening and why. Not only were Gary and Barb our pastors, they were two of our closest friends. We had been sent out from our previous church as a planting team with three other couples. Surely our friends--our pastors--might bring us some comfort.
We met with Gary and Barb in a small alcove down from Alex's room. They both seemed very somber and I was again gripped with fear. What did they know?
"Barb had a dream last night." Gary began when we were seated. My emotions were mixed. I knew that God had started to give dreams to Barb, as He had given them to me, also. The good news was that God seemed to be willing to give insight into what was occurring with Alex. The possible bad news was seen on Gary and Barb's faces.
Gary handed me a piece of paper that was covered with Barb's writing. Barb and I, along with another friend, Joy, were growing in interpretation of dreams. I prayed for discernment and then I began to read.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.