Years ago, my husband was scheduled to attend a conference in Florida. We live in Northern California. With his flight already covered, we attached our family vacation to his conference and flew from Florida to Grand Cayman Island, one of the British Virgin Islands. Our son was around fourteen at the time.
About a month before our trip, the worship team I was on at church had a social along with our spouses. Some of the guys started playing volleyball. The leader of our worship team hurt his ankle. Turns out he broke it. So much for a fun evening, huh?
A week or so later, a thought came to me. "You're coming home from vacation with a broken ankle." What? My silly imagination. Why would I think something like that? I figured the thought came to me because my friend had broken his ankle.
But
it happened again. Okay, what's going on? This is weird. Tomorrow when I
walk with Vicki, I'll ask what she thinks.
When I mentioned it to her, she responded as many of us would. "Don't even think that!" After the third or fourth time, I realized the Lord was trying to get my attention. Nothing like this had happened to me before.
"Okay, Lord. I believe you're telling me I'm coming home from vacation with a broken ankle. If I tell my husband and son, they'll think I'm crazy. So, I guess we're going on this vacation. Your Word tells me not to be afraid. So, if you're going to let this happen—I trust You—and I'll praise You no matter what."
It was settled and my spirit was calm.
Fast forward to Grand Cayman Island. While I enjoyed our time there, the idea of where and how I'd break my ankle often came to mind. In fact, at different times, unafraid, I'd think, is this where it's going to happen, Lord?
The time on the island passed quickly, and two days before we were
to leave, we rented wave runners for an hour. It was my first time to ride
alone. The warm aqua ocean lay quiet. We headed out in different directions. Seeing
a boat heading towards shore I headed toward its wakes for a little fun.
Tocktitti - Shutterstock Photo
I zoomed toward the wakes unaware how quickly they rushed in my direction. Suddenly upon them, I hit the first wake. My wave runner shot into the air. I held on for dear life. My body flew off the runner and upward, and I landed hard.
Ow! My left ankle hurt like when I'd bump it riding a bike—the right side of my lower back hurt. I unintentionally had the wave runner at full throttle and hit the next wake. I flew into the air again. This time I let go and was thrust into a backwards summersault and into the water….
Stunned, I floated a minute. Seeing my wave runner slipping away from me, I tried to swim after it. Instant pain hit my ankle. I instinctively knew I had to let the runner go, and gingerly gripped underneath my left knee with my hands, and pulled it up to check the damage. What I saw through the clear water shocked me.
My foot was off to the side of my ankle.
The truth sank in. This was it. I didn't expect it to
happen this way and started screaming hysterically—a high-pitched scream I
didn't recognize as my own. I floated in the ocean, alone. Please, someone
come help me!
Come back next week for Part-ll
Love & Blessings ~ Danie Marie
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