Intro:
One man’s life
provides a dramatic answer to
the question, can God indeed bring
positives out of troubled
times? This young man’s
name is David, and he is an awesome
picture of God’s
using difficulties for good.
For years he viewed trials as
something that affected only his
external world, and any blow to
what he owned or
how he looked would discourage
him and leave him feeling cheated.
Today, David travels around the
world, talking with people about
how he discovered that no matter
what happens to the outside, it’s
the internal life that trials
really touch. Just like what happened
in Jerry’s life
(whose story we shared in the
last chapter), the bigger the
trial, the more potential to see
God’s power
and peace at work in the inner
person.
During
the Vietnam War, David went through
rigorous training to become part
of the ultra elite special forces
team the Navy used on dangerous
search-and-destroy missions. During
a nighttime raid on an enemy stronghold,
David experienced the greatest
trial of his life. When he and
his men were pinned down by enemy
machine-gun fire, he pulled a
phosphorus grenade from his belt
and stood up to throw it. But
as he pulled back his arm, a bullet
hit the grenade, and it exploded
next to his ear.
Lying
on his side on the bank of a muddy
river, he watched part of his
face float by. His entire face
and shoulder alternately smoldered
and caught on fire as the phosphorus
that had embedded itself in his
body came into contact with the
air. David knew that he was going
to die, yet miraculously he didn’t.
He was pulled from the water by
his fellow soldiers, flown directly
to Saigon, and then taken to a
waiting plane bound for Hawaii.
But
David’s problems
were just beginning. When he first
went into surgery -- the first
of what would become
dozens of operations -- the surgical
team had a major problem during
the operation. As they cut away
tissue that had been burned or
torn by the grenade, the phosphorus
would hit the oxygen in the operating
room and begin to ignite again!
Several times the doctors and
nurses ran out of the room, leaving
him alone because they were afraid
the oxygen used in surgery would
explode! Incredibly, David survived
the operation and was taken to
a ward that held the most severe
burn and injury cases from the
war.
Lying
on his bed, his head the size
of a basketball, David knew he
presented a grotesque picture.
Although he had once been a handsome
man, he knew he had nothing to
offer his wife or anyone else
because of his appearance.
He felt more alone and more worthless
than he had ever felt in his life.
But David wasn’t
alone in his room.
There was another man who had
been wounded in Vietnam and was
also a nightmarish sight. He had
lost an arm and a leg, and his
face was badly torn and scarred.
As David was recovering from surgery,
this man’s wife
arrived from the States. When
she walked into the room and took
one look at her husband, she became
nauseated. She took off her wedding
ring, put it on the nightstand
next to him, and said, "I’m
so sorry, but
there’s no way
I could live with you looking
like that." And with that,
she walked out the door. He could
barely make any sounds through
his torn throat and mouth, but
the soldier wept and shook for
hours. Two days later, he died.
That woman’s
attitude represents in many respects
the way the world views a victim
of accident or injury. If a trial
emotionally or physically scars
someone or causes him to lose
his attractiveness, the world
says "Ugly is bad,"
and consequently, any value that
person feels he has to others
is drained away. For this poor
wounded soldier, knowing that
his wife saw no value in him was
more terrible than the wounds
he suffered. It blew away his
last hope that someone, somewhere,
could find worth in him because
he knew how the world would perceive
him.
Three
days later, David’s
wife arrived. After watching what
had happened with the other soldier,
he had no
idea what kind of reaction she
would have toward him, and he
dreaded her coming. His wife,
a strong Christian,
took one look at him, came over,
and kissed him on the only place
on his face that wasn’t
bandaged. In a
gentle voice she said, "Honey,
I love you. I’ll
always love you. And I want you
to know that whatever it
takes, whatever the odds, we can
make it together." She hugged
him where she could to avoid disturbing
his
injuries and stayed with him for
the next several days. Watching
what had happened with the other
man’s
wife and seeing his own wife’s
love for him gave David tremendous
strength. More than that, her
understanding and accepting him
greatly reinforced his own relationship
with the Lord.
In
the weeks and months that followed,
David’s wounds
slowly but steadily healed. It
took dozens of
operations and months of agonizing
recovery, but today, miraculously,
David can see and hear. On national
television, we heard David make
an incredible statement. I am
twice the person I was before
I went to Vietnam.
For one thing, God has used my
suffering to help me feel other
people’s pain
and to have an incredible burden
to reach people for Him. The Lord
has let me have a worldwide, positive
effect on people’s
lives because of what I went through.
I wouldn’t trade
anything I’ve
gone through for the benefits
my trials have had in my life,
on my family’s
life and on countless teenagers
and adults I’ve
had the opportunity to influence
over the years. David experienced
a trial that no parents would
wish on their children. Yet in
spite of all the tragedy that
surrounded him, God turned his
troubled times into fruitful ones.
Gary
Smalley and John Trent, Ph.D.,
The Gift of Honor, pp. 56-58.
I.
Tested Faith Brings About A Depth
Of Character. (Rom. 5:3-5)
II.
Tested Faith Enables Us To Comfort
and Encourage Others. (2 Cor.
1:3-5)
III.
Tested Faith Increases Dependence
On God For Wisdom. (James 1:5;
3:17-18)
IV.
Tested Faith Encourages Us To
Lead A Productive and Effective
Life. (2 Peter 1:5-9)
V.
Tested Faith Helps Us Identify With
Christ. (Matthew 4:1-11; Hebrews
5:7-10)
VI.
Tested Faith Allows Us To Focus
On Our Future Hope In Christ.
(Romans 8:18-24)
Conclusion:
On December 29, 1987, a Soviet
cosmonaut returned to the earth
after 326 days in orbit. He was
in good health, which hasn’t
always been the case in those
record-breaking voyages. Five
years earlier, touching down after
211 days in space, two cosmonauts
suffered from dizziness, high
pulse rates, and heart palpitations.
They couldn’t
walk for a week, and after 30
days, they were still undergoing
therapy for atrophied muscles
andweakened hearts. At zero gravity,
the muscles of the body begin
to waste away because there is
no resistance.
To counteract this, the Soviets
prescribed a vigorous exercise
program for the cosmonauts. They
invented the
"penguin suit," a running
suit laced with elastic bands.
It resists every move the cosmonauts
make, forcing them to exert their
strength. Apparently the regimen
is working.
We
often long dreamily for days without
difficulty, but God knows better.
The easier our life, the weaker
our
spiritual fiber, for strength of
any kind grows only by exertion.
