By Libby Powell
It’s hard for me to say
or describe what I feel;
though I’m physically better,
it does take time to heal.
It all began with me
and a thoughtless inspiration
that caused an injury
and cut off my respiration.
On Thursday night, I flew
to a hospital to stay,
but I don’t remember much.
You see, they knocked me out that day.
I woke on Friday evening with
two fractures in my skull—
alarmed, I prayed to God who
I knew was in control.
Sunday came, and in its wake
I learned to walk alone.
That afternoon, a miracle:
they told me to go home.
Though the Lord heals quickly,
it is hard to be content
with life the way I live it now,
so full of such dissent.
I struggle in my heart
as I think of everything
that I cannot do this year,
though I planned so many things.
I cannot run, I cannot jump,
I cannot even dance.
Depressing, right? It makes me see
my summer at a glance:
no reading books for long hours,
no staring at a screen.
Such things would give my head an ache,
as nice as they might seem.
Of course, it’s only for my good,
so just sit back and rest.
Get bored, be glum but don’t do much—
I know…it’s for the best.
Inside, my heart rebels,
for I cannot stand restraints.
My mind is overwhelmed,
filled with dozens of complaints.
At points I say I’m happy,
and I actually think it, too,
but always deep inside
I feel a hurt that’s all too true.
A throbbing ache inside my heart
begins to weary me;
my scars have chained me to the floor,
and I cannot break free.
One day I type these words:
“My life is very sad.”
Then suddenly it hits me hard
that life is not that bad.
My head begins to whirl
in the shock of everything—
I feel like life is upside down,
my hopes have taken wing!
When did I start to change?
I hardly know at all!
But I’ve been growing different
ever since I took that fall.
Amazed, I look at life anew,
perspectives changed around.
Now I can see new purpose;
in my life, new worth I’ve found!
God has used my injury
for purposes His own,
and now I see His hand at work
in countless ways unknown.
His peace lives on inside my heart,
and from His Word of power,
I’m learning how to be content
and smile each precious hour.
I am content to struggle,
for each struggle teaches me
that God can create beauty
even through this injury.
Libby is a follower of Jesus who is a book lover and a learning writer. Her passion is music and reaching the nations, including her own, with the gospel of Christ. She is a lover of tea who enjoys giving hugs and tries to help people when they are hurt. Her one goal is for God to be glorified in every area of her life. She can’t wait until the day He returns to establish His kingdom, and she eagerly does her best to live for Him.
Wow… thank you for sharing your gift again with us, Libby. It’s beautiful to hear how God’s grown you through this. A wonderful reminder for all of us. 🙂
Thank you, Emily. Every time I think about my injury, I am reminded of God’s grace in revealing himself to me. He is such a great God!
Oh, just wow, Libby! What an amazing and inspiring poem. Its a hard thing to learn, but its very real once you feel it. Thank you!
Ariel, thank you so much! God has taught me so much through that time. I am so touched that you were inspired by it! <3
This is so honest and deep, Libby! What a beautiful encouragement to keep on, even when things are hard. Thank you for sharing your story. ❤️
Thank you, Eden <3<3 That means a ton to me. I am so glad you liked it!
Libby, this was lovely. What a beautiful and honest reminder that even in the hard things, God is still right there beside us. God blessed me with this poem, and I’m so grateful you shared it. <3
Dear Katherine, thank you so much for your comment. <3 Knowing that God used this to encourage you makes me so happy and grateful for his grace! Our God is truly amazing, isn't he!
Wow, this really hits home for me. I’ve never had a super serious injury but having scoliosis surgery left me unable to do a lot of the things I wanted to as a young teenager and the struggles you talked about were definitely there. The hardest thing was probably not being able to pick up my little sister due to weight limits and having to rely on everyone else.
But in the end, I am really glad I went through it for so many reasons. The most important being I got saved the next spring!! Really with all that time to think it changed a lot of my perspective, and somehow it really helped with the bad self-image I used to have. God definitely used it for purposes of his own and looking back I know I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Thanks so much for sharing your heart and beautiful journey. May God continue to grow us all in life’s beautiful struggles and pain for his glory!!
Indeed! For the glory of God!
Thank you so much for sharing your story with me. Knowing that I am not the only one who has gone through this sort of pain as a teen is encouraging, and hearing how God used your health issues to bring you to himself is amazing! Praise him!
I know that as painful as it was, I wouldn’t have changed anything for the world, either. Thank you so much! <3
Wow. First off, thank you for being honest. And then, I love how much hope this has and how much power there is when you surrender your story to Christ. Keep writing, girl. You’ll move mountains. 🙂
Thank you, Sarah! I’m so happy that you liked this <3 Your comment was so encouraging!