Glory Revealed

**This is the final post in the series, Holly's Healing. To start from the beginning, click here.**

I have to admit, it was hard to believe Holly’s brain was fine in those first few months after the accident. It was tempting to run ahead of God and take control of the situation. The truth is her bones were eggshells to the base of the brain and her brain was badly bruised. The plastic surgeons pieced together the outside bones, but there is nothing they could do on the inside. The neuroscience team warned us Holly may struggle in school. Sure enough, we saw clear signs of brain injury, even more than a month after the accident. I clung to God’s promise: Her brain is fine. We waited it out. You see, God speaks from a timeless position. When He speaks, it is eternal truth. From His perspective Holly was healed, our temporal condition will pass away. I chose to believe Him even when the circumstances seemed to suggest otherwise.

During conferences the following school year we met with Holly’s math teacher and she mentioned her desire to accelerate Holly. Quite frankly, we laughed it off. Holly has always been a good, disciplined student, but we knew math just wasn’t her language. In the past she complained about math being too hard and believed she wasn’t good at it. I began to take notice math was coming more naturally and I even mentioned it to her. She confirmed it was easy “all of a sudden.”

That year we received a letter in the mail explaining that according to Holly’s testing, the state of Ohio has identified her as gifted in math. This is incredible! I have witnessed firsthand the differences between gifted and good students. Gifted students are just that, gifted. It’s not something they work at or can achieve, it just is. The positive differences in school didn’t stop there. Before the accident Holly had lagged in reading comprehension, making reading a chore she didn’t enjoyed. She had reading goals at school and frequently did not reach them before the accident. She soared above her goals that following year.  I believe her comprehension had been enriched.

Very commonly as human beings we want to know why God allows pain and suffering, especially in the case of children. When we align our thoughts with His thoughts, we see for ourselves that God is good. God’s heart is love, salvation, redemption and resurrection. Because His focus is eternal, He allows suffering even to the point of death on a cross. He is interested in building trust, encouraging faith and guiding into spiritual freedom. In His love for us, He does and allows whatever is necessary to be with us now and forever.

I remember the day our family doctor examined Holly’s CT scan, quietly closed his laptop and solemnly remarked, “She’s a lucky girl.” A neighbor commented she’s too lucky. When describing the accident to a friend, she said she could “see” God’s hand covering Holly’s face, protecting her precious organs inside. It doesn’t take a spiritual person to recognize divine intervention in Holly’s behalf. All men can see God’s glory manifested through the miracle of Holly’s salvation on earth. Indeed, God has shown me His glory.