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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: Surprised (09/06/07)
A few years ago my wife and I went out on one of our rare and much needed “date nights,” leaving our 16 year old daughter at home by herself. When we returned two hours later she voiced a minor complaint about a stomach ache, and then retired to her room. Thinking nothing more of it, I went about my nightly routine of letting dogs out, turning lights off, and securing the doors. I climbed into bed, and as I was dozing off heard a muffled cry through the adjoining wall. It was so weak it barely registered in my mind. A minute later I heard it again. This time something inside me said, “Pay attention!” Instinctively I knew something was terribly wrong. I leaped out of bed, and ran to her door. It was locked. I knocked and called out. No answer – not even the faint sound of movement. I began to panic. I jiggled the doorknob. Still there was no response. Shouting and pounding on the door, I awakened everyone in the house. With my wife now at my side, our daughter finally unlocked the door, crying in heaving sobs. She was scared to death, and obviously in some serious trouble.

We tried to get her to tell us what was wrong, but she was only able to continue her panicked crying. The seconds felt like hours until she finally calmed down enough to tell us, through her heavy sobs, that while we were out she had decided to find out what it feels like to get high, and had taken numerous pain pills – at least a couple of anything and everything she could lay her hands on. Now she was scared to death. I don’t think I have ever changed out of pajamas and into jeans and a t-shirt as quickly as I did that night. We raced her to the nearest hospital, where we spent the remainder of the night.

The medical staff decided the best course of action was to put as much liquid into her as they could, and sent me home to find as many of the medicine containers around the house as I could. While they stuck an IV needle into her, I jetted home, gathered up everything I could find that she might have taken, and returned to the hospital with bag in hand. They then went through everything in the bag, one item at a time. “Did you take this? How much? Did you take any of these? Okay, how about these? How many?” And so it went until they had grilled her about each and every medicine. They thought it was an attempted suicide, and informed us she had to be admitted to a psychiatric institution. She never was. There weren’t any beds available, and for that I am grateful. I don’t have faith in State-mandated programs. God answered my prayers that night. She came home with us the following morning, having learned quite a lesson, and other than being tired and shook-up, she was okay. She had rightfully been in fear for her life. Just a couple more of the pills and she would have been in a life-threatening situation.

It was a very scary situation – one I had neither anticipated nor expected. It would have been understandable to have feared the worst. Such would have been the normal, natural response of a father over his child in serious medical trouble. But I did not come unglued. Why didn’t I panic? God had given me an even bigger surprise. That night He placed into me – for that specific situation – the gift of faith. The faith I had that night was not the result of prayer, or Bible study; of being saved, going to church, or even of being a minister. GOD placed HIS faith into me that night. It was a kind of faith I had never experienced before. It was a gift. Without even thinking about it, I trusted Him completely with my daughter. It had nothing to do with my knowledge, my abilities, my righteousness, or even my asking. I did not ask. There wasn’t time. True to the words of Jesus, God knew what I needed even before I would have asked. It was His gift to me, and I accepted it without hesitation. His gift of faith was much needed and wonderful surprise.
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Member Comments
Member
Date
Jan Ackerson
09/16/07
How terrifying, and also how wonderful, that you were given such supernatural faith.

I'd have loved a last line about how your daughter is doing now. And your pargraphs are quite lengthy--each could be easily divided into 2 or 3 shorter ones.

Thank you so much for sharing this inspiring testimony.
Dee Yoder
09/19/07
Wow. I really like the way you emphasized that God was the One who gave you the faith you needed for that moment, and not anything you had managed to accomplish, or even NOT accomplish. This is a great testimony of mercy! I was drawn right into your story and couldn't take my eyes off the page until the last word! I agree with Jan that knowing a little about your daughter after this incident would finish the story well. Wonderful descriptions in this, too.