Shawn’s Road to Restoration
“Our family’s little world had been shaken, but we were determined not to be.”
Sunday, September 9th is a day our family will always remember. We were returning home from Charlie’s event on the Windward side, the girls and I were in the car and Shawn was following us on his bike. We usually ride together like this when he has the bike, in “family formation”, taking turns with who was in front depending on what was happening with neighboring vehicles. We’d always stick together until we neared our destination point, which is when he’d oftentimes break off, ride ahead of us, and we’d catch up and meet in a few minutes. That day, that ride, was no different. So we thought.
We arrived at home, walked through the garage, and noticed that he hadn’t gotten home yet. (I had expected him to be maneuvering his bike into its parking place.) There wasn’t anything to be concerned about because he would sometimes extend his ride for a few miles and then come back home. We went about our business expecting him to return soon. After some time passed and he didn’t answer our phone calls, I asked one of the girls to track his location. He was a few streets over and had been there for a little while now. It’s important to note that he usually had the volume on his phone set to silent, and rarely answered calls. “Text me!”, was usually what he’d tell people if they wanted to contact him. So we really weren’t too concerned when we called and he didn’t answer. However, I did need to know what he wanted to do for the impromptu dinner he had just set up with some of our dearest friends. Based on the tracked location of his phone, we thought he may have seen a friend of ours who lived in the area, stopped at his house to say “what’s up”, and got caught up talking story...something else which was just the norm with him. The girls and I figured out dinner, our oldest was on her way to the market, and I sent her to “swing by Uncle’s house to check if Daddy’s there and ask him if he is still planning to take your sister to the skate park.” She went on her way and called me a few minutes later, her voice shaking. Before she said anything, I knew. I knew that the sirens I had heard wailing through the neighborhood a little while earlier were for Shawn.
Our family’s little world had been shaken, but we were determined not to be. After all, our Father is a good Father, our God is a God of miracles, and healing, and grace, and mercy, and comfort, and LOVE. And SO many more amazing things! And He has not given us a spirit of fear, but of POWER and of LOVE and of a SOUND MIND. I have clung to God’s Word for decades now, but that day I held on the tightest! And not just me, but WE. The girls and I, our closest circle of friends, and a team of unwavering prayer warriors! We have no doubt that as soon as Shawn flew off of the bike, the protective hands of his Heavenly Father we right there to comfort and cradle him. Yes, his skull fractured; yes, he sustained other injuries; yes, he had surgery; yes, he is still recovering in ICU. All that and maybe even a little more. BUT....Yes, our God is the Great Physician and He has allowed us to witness His spectacular orchestration of Shawn’s journey to healing and restoration. We are amazed and in awe of His protection, His provision, His power, His grace, His LOVE. We know with time comes healing. As time passes, please continue to stand in agreement with our family for Shawn’s total healing and complete restoration according to God’s sovereign will, and please remember to never ever waver in the Wait.
