Episode Summary: When we talk about wounds, pain, and scars, we need to remember that those come in the form of physical, emotional, relational, spiritual, grief and loss. This week’s guest, Kimberly Joy, shares of severe physical pain she endured after being hit by a car when she was out for a run, and the excruciating recovery she endured, but how she experienced God has her comfort and coach throughout her recovery. Her story is a powerful reminder of how to keep running with God after life hits you hard. I know you’ll be encouraged by her story! Quotables from the episode: Everybody I meet has gone through some painful trials, whether it's physical pain, relational pain or even spiritual pain or grief or loss. And what amazes me time and time again is that frequently those really painful trials that we've been through are an opportunity for God to use us to minister to others. Have you ever felt like what happened to you was like getting hit by a car? Well, I actually did get hit by a car! At the hospital, doctors said, “well, the good news is you've only broken bones. And they said, this is a miracle. We don't know how you have no internal organ damage, no spinal cord damage, no brain damage, no head injury. All you have are broken bones, but are you ready for the bad news? And I said, yeah, what's the bad news? They said you broke the two most painful bones in the human body, your pelvis and your ribs.” I was no stranger to pain. But I'm telling you, this pain was unlike anything I could even describe. I describe it as a thousand sharp objects being stabbed into my body in some medieval torture session. I just want to say this to your listeners, whether it's a relational, financial, physical, whatever, spiritual injury, the way that we immediately blame ourselves is so from the pit of hell, you know, that we would immediately heap condemnation right onto our wound. And that's what I did. And but I didn't blame God, and I wasn't mad at him. And I just thought the Lord is with me. I've done a lot of things with him that were hard. This is another thing that God and I are going to do together. That was my attitude. This is another thing God, and I are going to do together. And he's never failed me. So, he's going to not fail me now. And I had an attitude of faith, but also that underlying self -blame. The question to ask is who, not why. Who, Lord, do you want to be for me in this pain? Who is the question I've learned to ask, are you going to be my healer, my savior, my deliver, my friend, my comforter? Who are you going to be? And I already knew he was being my comforter. It was the most fearless season of my life, which made no sense, which proved to me. He was so with me, that peace that he gave me when I rolled up onto the hood of the car had not left me. **You can tell the size of your destiny by the size of your opposition. This pain, this problem is evidence of the size of your destiny. This is not evidence of your foolishness running out in the middle of the street. This is not evidence about how you do everything the hard way because I had to stay awake while I was being hit by a car. This is evidence of the size of your call. Previously, God told me to run. And so I thought, if I can run in the physical, I can run in the spirit. And my evidence, Michelle, was I crossed a finish line of a half marathon. One month later, I couldn't even walk. One month later, I came home in a wheelchair. And this was my enemy's direct and immediate assault on two things I did that put me closer to my destiny than I had ever been. So I decided that I was going to come back stronger, go further, and do it bigger. And Lord, whatever dream you put in my heart, stretch out the tent pegs, expand my borders, because if he thinks that he's going to kill me before I do what I was put on this earth to do, he's got another thing coming. And this holy indignation just rose up in me. The doctor came in the next morning and told me that it would take a year to recover from my injuries. What was in my mind was this message God had given me that this was a direct and immediate assault on my destiny. And I knew that this race that I had just run 30 days prior was happening again in 11 more months. And so, I looked at the doctor and I said, I'm going to be running a half marathon in 11 months. I ran that race in 11 months. Eleven months later, I crossed that finish line, that same one again. And this time, I cannot even tell you the emotion. I got a taste of what it's going to be like when we meet Jesus, and we cross our final finish line. I got a taste because I came out of such opposition, such pain, such limitation, such focus, such faith it took me to go from that bed to that finish line in 11 months. It was like such a metaphor for this walk with God, this race we're running with Christ. Paul said, run your race in such a way as to win. And I did that in the natural realm, but it made me see what it's going to be like when we meet him and we crossed that line. And when I crossed the finish line that day, I felt a victory. I do want to say that with all the faith that I had and all the trust I had in God, there was still some practical things I needed to do on my journey. And I heard someone say, if the counsel you're given isn't both spiritual and practical, then it's not spiritual at all. And I really, really stand as a testament of that, that God didn't just, you know, encourage me spiritually and give me promises in his word and comfort me. He pointed me to people that could help me with the practical things I needed to heal my body, my health, and the PTSD to deal with the fear that I had. What we go through, whether it's physical or emotional or relational or spiritual, that is not our not our identity. So often what I see and what I've experienced myself is that during those times when we are in the most painful trials, that is also the time when we are most susceptible to the enemy's lies. And that's why we have to lean into God. That's why we have to stay in this Word. And that's why we have to be around people who will speak truth when we're having a hard time recognizing that we're listening to a lie. My story is universal in that life hits you like you were hit by a car, life hits you with various kinds of pain, but Jesus called you to run your race with him. He's the best running coach. He's the best guide. He's the best father. He's the best friend. If you do this with him, he will lead you to everything you need to walk in your real identity. I kept saying to myself, this is my life right now, but this is temporary. I will heal. I will heal. I am on my way to healing. This is temporary. And then I would stop and say, thank you, Lord, that it's temporary, that this is not permanent. And I would remind myself to remind myself and to thank him. You're going to cross your finish line. And you're going to look back on what you overcame and say, look what God and I can do together. Look what we can do together. And that is such a beautiful hope -filled perspective because God doesn't want us to have to do it on our own. No. He wants us to lean into him, hold his hand, and move in forward direction. Realize that Jesus is your coach and that he wants you to run the race with him. Finish well. He doesn't want you to do it on your own. He says, “Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. And rest was part of Kimberly's training. And it may just be the part that God wants you to focus on right now. Recommended Resources: Sacred Scars: Resting in God’s Promise That Your Past Is Not Wasted by Dr. Michelle Bengtson The Hem of His Garment: Reaching Out To God When Pain Overwhelms by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner AWSA 2024 Golden Scroll Christian Living Book of the Year and the 2024 Christian Literary Awards Reader’s Choice Award in the Christian Living and Non-Fiction categories YouVersion 5-Day Devotional Reaching Out To God When Pain Overwhelms Today is Going to be a Good Day: 90 Promises from God to Start Your Day Off Right by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, AWSA Member of the Year, winner of the AWSA 2023 Inspirational Gift Book of the Year Award, the 2024 Christian Literary Awards Reader’s Choice Award in the Devotional category, the 2023 Christian Literary Awards Reader’s Choice Award in four categories, and the Christian Literary Awards Henri Award for Devotionals YouVersion Devotional, Today is Going to be a Good Day version 1 YouVersion Devotional, Today is Going to be a Good Day version 2 Revive & Thrive Women’s Online Conference Revive & Thrive Summit 2 Trusting God through Cancer Summit 1 Trusting God through Cancer Summit 2 Breaking Anxiety’s Grip: How to Reclaim the Peace God Promises by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the AWSA 2020 Best Christian Living Book First Place, the first place winner for the Best Christian Living Book, the 2020 Carolina Christian Writer’s Conference Contest winner for nonfiction, and winner of the 2021 Christian Literary Award’s Reader’s Choice Award in all four categories for which it was nominated (Non-Fiction Victorious Living, Christian Living Day By Day, Inspirational Breaking Free and Testimonial Justified by Grace categories.) YouVersion Bible Reading Plan for Breaking Anxiety’s Grip Breaking Anxiety’s Grip Free Study Guide Free PDF Resource: How to Fight Fearful/Anxious Thoughts and Win Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the Christian Literary Award Henri and Reader’s Choice Award Hope Prevails Bible Study by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the Christian Literary Award Reader’s Choice Award Free Webinar: Help for When You’re Feeling Blue Social Media Links for Host and Guest: Connect with Kimberly Joy: Website / Facebook The Few Women / Instagram The Few Women / Instagram Kimberly Joy For more hope, stay conn
