Sunday, June 12, 2011

I Told My Wife No

Since the accident there have been many people that we have never met, yet they have prayed for our family. Last Friday we had the chance to meet some of them!
We enjoyed meeting these dear brothers and sisters in Christ and their precious families!
We are so thankful for them and so many others who approached the throne of God on our behalf.

While visiting with them, Ryan shared what he considers the greatest miracle of the accident.
He told me, "No."
This is the story in his words.

The trip to Michelle's mom's in Illinois is about 10 hours and we usually share the driving. I usually do the most driving, but sometimes Michelle gives me a break and drives a short leg of the trip. This trip I drove the whole time. Our last stop was in Marshall, MI where we filled the van up with gas and bought some snacks for the last leg of the trip. The next stop was home. As we loaded the kids in and buckled up, Michelle offered to drive. I told her, "No, I'm okay. I'll just finish it up."

As you already know it was during this stretch that the accident happened. The van was hit on the driver's side. Some of you know what the van looked like after the accident. I suffered multiple injuries, breaking 13 or 14 % of the bones in my body. The constant aches and pains that I have are nothing compared to what I would be feeling if I had to watch my wife through this.

I consider it a miracle that I was driving.  Seeing my wife go through something like this would make me feel lifeless. Just watching her with the aches, stiffness, and other issues she has still hurts me.
I just know I am thankful that I was in the driver's seat that night. 

Since the accident, I (Michelle) have heard my husband tell numerous people that he was thankful that it was him and not me or one of our children. Each time I was reminded how much he loves me and our children. I know he loves us so dearly he would give his own life for us. It is such a beautiful reflection of another man, Jesus Christ, who loved us so much He gave his life so that we can all be free from sin and live forever with Him.





5 comments:

  1. Ryan this is why we and everyone that meets you loves you so much. You have such a beautiful soul and love for your family. God will continue to bless you all and we continue to pray for you all.

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  2. This is an awesome testimony. We are all so thankful for God's hand of protection on you, and are keeping you in prayer. Love you!!!

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  3. Thanks Kleinhardt's and Kim! We love ya'll very much and we appreciate your prayers!

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  4. As a Father has compassion on His children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.
    Your family has been a beautiful encouragement to me as I too recover from the trauma of a "freak" van crash.

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  5. Betsy, How wonderful to know that we have been an encouragement to you! You and your family have been a source of strength and encouragement for us, and it is a joy to be able to do the same for you! We must get together sometime this summer! I would love the opportunity to finally see you face to face! I'll call you to see if we can set something up!

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