As I said in my previous post, I had a lot of questions to answer during my hospital stay.  It seemed like the doctors and nurses asked me a million times what had happened and how I was feeling.  I quickly grew tired of answering both of these questions; what happened was in my chart and the fact I wanted more medication should adequately and completely answer the later question.

Not only did I have to answer a lot of questions, but I had a few of my own.  The biggest questions in my mind and heart were not directed toward any medical professional, but mainly to myself (how could you have done something this stupid?) and to God (Why?).

This two word question, God why, was anything but simple.  In those two words, those 6 letters, was a mountain of emotion, confusion, distrust, hope, anger, faith…  Those words do not even begin to describe everything I was feeling as I prayed those two words over and over again.  As I laid in that bed talking with the stream of people that kept coming through the door, no one had any answers, at least not answers to my real questions.  Hope and faith truly were a huge part of what I felt, because I knew that God had the answers I sought, the bigger question was would I hear his voice, and if I did would I accept his answer?

I did hear His voice, but not in any way I expected.  An audible voice would have been nice, even a hand writing on the wall would be acceptable, whatever was fine with me as long as what I got was an actual answer, not just something that raised more questions.

As I prayed, and slept, and took more meds, and saw more people, and felt the enormous outpouring of love from so many people one distinct phrase constantly ran through my mind, “I will make you lie down in green pastures.”  I had memorized the 23^rd Psalm several years ago and this phrase had always stood out to me, but this didn’t really make much sense.  At first I just credited the medication and tried to focus on other things, but it would not go away.  “I will make you lie down in green pastures.”

Once I realized this was God trying to answer my question through this familiar scripture all it did was raise more questions.  “Oh, so you made me lie down, so that means you caused me to crash.”

“No, you made the decision to ride that fast through that empty lot”

“Ok, I understand being the victim of my own stupidity, but why didn’t you protect me?”

“I did.  You rode out of your garage with out your helmet on, I made you go back and get it”

“Then why am I in this hospital bed if you protected me?”

“Because you won’t be obedient if you didn’t end up in this bed.”

I wish my conversation with God was that quick and that precise, it wasn’t.  Over these several months God has filled in some of those answers for me.  But one thing I did get loud and clear before I ever left that hospital room—I was not being fully obedient to God.  That conviction stung, I felt like I had given God a lot.  I was a pastor, I had given him my whole life (so I thought), and I had genuinely felt close to Him.  But I knew right away one thing I was not doing all the way; writing my book.

The amount of time between when my book idea went from scribbles on scratch paper to actual words typed in a computer and me lying in that hospital bed was about 9 months.  At that point I had written what now in the final manuscript are 2 and ½ chapters.  As soon as I was home and could sit up for more than a few moments I started writing.  I finished the next 1 and ½ chapters literally typing with one hand as my broken left arm was elevated on a pillow.  I finished the rough draft of my book 3 months after being discharged from the hospital (it is 9 chapters).  I fully believe that if I had not crashed that day my book would still not be completed.

But, not diligently writing was not the only thing God was trying to get me to realize.  I had focused on the “God making me lie down” part, and it definitely got my attention.  But that is not the whole phrase God told me over and over again.  “I will make you lie down in green pastures.”  It was not until my book was completed that I began to understand what on earth could be “green” about this experience, but that will have to wait for part 3…