The Day I Became Friends with God…

I’m going to get kind of deep here. Most of you know the Chris that doesn’t have a serious bone in his body…the happy-go-lucky, prankster, Chris. But for some reason I feel that I need to give my testimony. I am going to tell the story of when I became close with God.

I don’t always make the right choices or live the life that I should. But I am trying very hard to make sure that I follow the right path. Previous to this particular day, I like to say that I had met God, but we weren’t close friends. He was a “friend-of-a-friend.” I had lots of friends that knew him. He and my mom were very close. I was raised to be close to Him, but in hindsight, I was just going through the motions. I had been baptized. I went to church fairly often. I sang in the choir. Occasionally I would, with the help of my quartet buddies, sing special music sermons in church. I prayed (almost) every night. I thought that I was living right, but now in know, I was not.

Brandee and I found out that we were going to have a baby!  We were as excited as all young parents are. We had hopes and dreams for our unborn baby. I hoped that he was going to be a roughneck little guy that wanted nothing more than to play in the dirt, wrestle with daddy, and go fishing! Brandee wanted a pretty little girl who loved wearing ruffled dresses and would spend the afternoon shopping with mommy.

Brandee had a few complications along the way. Very early in her pregnancy, doctors put her on bed rest. Shortly thereafter, they admitted her to the hospital for testing and observation. A few days after hospitalization, they made us aware that it was necessary to transfer her to Indianapolis, where it was about to become a bumpy ride!

Fast-forward almost a month. Brandee was still in the hospital in Indy.  I visited a night or two through the week and on weekends. I felt like I needed to be with her, but the realization was she was not able to work.  We needed me to stay in Terre Haute. It was a very difficult time and I was torn between where I wanted to be (with Brandee) and where I needed to be (bringing home a paycheck.)

Upon Brandee’s insisting, I attended a friend’s wedding “to represent our family.” Of course, I wanted to go, but I also knew that I should be with her too.  Brandee was very convincing. “You should go! This has been stressful for you running between the hospital and home. Go blow off some steam and have a good time. I’m just going to be here in bed! Come see me the next morning and tell me all about it!”

I went and it was a good time…maybe too good of a time!  Brandee called me very early the following morning. My head was cloudy from having a few too many drinks at the reception. “What time are you planning on coming up this morning?”  My initial thought was “after a few more hours of sleep and a couple of Tylenol!,” but said that I was on my way after a quick shower.  “I have some bad news!,” she said. “We are going to have the baby today.” This WAS bad news! The baby would only be about 26 weeks along. We knew that it would come earlier than normal, but the longer that the baby could stay in her womb, the more developed it would be. According to doctors, we wanted to try to make it somewhere after 30-32 weeks.

I don’t even remember driving to Indianapolis. It still is all such a blur. I was scared to death!  I don’t know why I didn’t get a speeding ticket. As I walked into her room, the doctor’s were briefing Brandee. After a quick hug and kiss, they joined me into the conversation and explained that we needed to induce labor now. Brandee’s (and the baby’s) blood pressure was off the charts!

They tied her hands and legs to the bed. “She will likely start seizing and we just want to keep her from hurting herself.”  They sure got my attention. They gave us the opportunity to ask all of the questions that we wanted, but the truth is, we didn’t know what to ask. Another hug and kiss and they wheeled her out of the room to prep her for surgery.

A nurse threw me some scrubs. “Hurry and put these on and I will be back to take you to the O.R.” As I was dressing, I realized that there was no place to sit. They took the bed with Brandee and I later found out that they moved all of the chairs out to make sure that they would have enough room to work if she “crashed.”

And then it happened!  I got to have my first REAL conversation with God. I had said the Lord’s Prayer before. I had said the “Now I lay me down to sleep” prayer lots as a kid. And as I sayed before, I said some version of a prayer almost every night, laying in bed.  But this was different.

I don’t know how long I had been there, but I realized that I was on my knees in the middle of her room. I don’t remember dropping to my knees, but I was praying. It went something like this…”God, I’m placing my wife and new baby in your hands. I know that you will do what is best for them. I will follow you no matter what the outcome is today. Even if I don’t like your answer and you decide to take them both today, I only pray that you bring them to your side. Be with me and give me the strength to accept your answer. I turn all of our troubles over to you. THY will be done Lord, not mine will, Lord. THY will be done.”

As I got up from my knees, I realized that those were not my words!  I don’t know where they came from, but that isn’t something that I would have EVER said up until that point in my life. Maybe God had sent me an angel to pray with me and give me the words that I didn’t have the ability to come up with on my own.   Or maybe Jesus himself was sitting with me in the middle of the floor holding my hand.  The only thing that I know is at that time in my life, I didn’t have the faith to come up with that prayer on my own.

The nurse took me to see Brandee. All of the medical equipment and doctors bustling around was kind of overwhelming. I just held Brandee’s hand, wiped her tearful eyes and kept telling her that everything was going to be all right. For some reason, I remember a peace coming over me in that hectic room.  “Everthing will be all right, honey.  I just know it!”  I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that everything would be just fine!

We soon had a tiny, baby boy! He was 2 pounds, 3 ounces and 13 inches long and came into the world almost 3 full months before most babies. The doctors told me that it was necessary to take him to Riley Hospital for Children. “Do you want to go with the baby or stay with Brandee?,” they asked. Brandee told me to go with him. As much as I wanted to go with the doctors, I also felt like I should be with my wife. I walked through underground tunnels following an incubator and two doctors. I was a little nervous, but not fearful. For some reason, I knew that it would all work out.

I stayed with the not yet named “Baby Wood” for a few hours and then went to visit Brandee for a couple of hours. Previous to this stressful day, we decided not to name our new baby until after we got to see him. Still trying to recover, Brandee was unable to see him for about 4 days. On day 4, Brandee asked me to go decide on a name. That was a funny story, but that is for another day! I named him Peyton O’Neal Wood.

After that day, the long road did not become easy. Both Brandee and Peyton struggled and had a lot of difficulties and set-backs. But somehow, I still knew that everything was going to be alright.  Brandee and Baby Peyton stayed in Indianapolis for another 3 months, as I continued to stay home and work, making my weekend and surprise weeknight visits.

I know that I will probably always have to work hard to be a Christian. I still don’t make the right spiritual choices daily. I frequently stumble. But thanks to God’s grace, He has led me in the right direction. It is MY job to stay on His path. And I now have the opportunity to walk down that path, while holding a little hand!

And, I got my way! Peyton is a happy little, roughneck guy that loves to play in the dirt and wrestle with daddy. And we caught that  first fish early this spring!

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