What Being Brave Looks Like: Being Brave When You Feel Helpless

Welcome to the 8th installment in our What Being Brave Looks Like series!

Today I am welcoming another one of my writing sisters, Misty Philip. Misty is a writer, speaker and blogger and lives in Texas. I think you will be inspired by her story about the brave vulnerability of asking for help when the storms of life come! 

Thousands of people every year travel across tiny Texas towns arrayed in bluebonnets from Houston to Austin in a race for the cure for Multiple Sclerosis for the MS 150 bicycle race. Three years ago my eldest son, Jacob who at the time was a full-time college student and also worked part-time as an intern for a consulting firm, decided to join his coworkers and ride the 150 miles from Houston to Austin. 

He missed several of the training rides with his co-workers due to his busy schedule. I was concerned that he would have a hard time completing the race if he didn’t train. To encourage him I found a 16.4-mile trail locally that runs through the woods along the Creekside and told him that I would ride with him.

It was a gorgeous day for a ride! I knew I would not be able to keep up with him, so I invited my younger son Ian to ride along with me, and I am so glad that I did! We got to the trailhead, and my oldest son takes off, and Ian and I casually cruised down the trail. I was on a fitness kick at the time and wanted to track the mileage of our ride. I thought I was so smart when Velcroed my phone to the front of the bike. As I was switching songs on the music player on the phone, one of my earbuds slipped out of my ear.

I was concerned that it would get tangled in my front tire and cause me to wreck and I instinctively grabbed the left front brake. We were clipping along at a pretty good speed when I grabbed the front brake and came to a complete stop catapulting me over my handlebars. I was riding without a helmet that day; I grew up never wearing a bike helmet and did not think anything of it. As my body thrust over the bike and my head hurled toward the pavement, all I could think to do was to hold my arms out to brace my fall, instantly fracturing both of my arms and dislocating my wrist.

I laid in the middle of the paved trail in the blazing hot sun unable to move, not knowing how severe my injuries were. Helplessly I laid there and began crying out to God for help. I wanted to be brave and remain calm, so I started to breathe through the excruciating pain. I didn’t want to go into shock or cause my boys to be any more upset then they already were. After about an hour, the paramedics were finally able to get to me and began administering medication. 

They took me to the nearest hospital and set my arms, but I required surgery to correct them. It would be two days before I could get in to see the orthopedist. I went home with my bones grinding against one another without any pain medicine. Monday morning couldn’t come fast enough. Finally,  I saw the orthopedist, and that afternoon I was in hospital prepping for surgery. He surgically implanted three plates and two screws into my fractured ulna and radius in my left arm, and broken radius of my right arm, and put temporarily removable casts on my arms.

I am a busy wife and mom of all boys. I was unable to do ANYTHING for myself or my boys. This was a huge adjustment for our whole family! The guys had to step up and take care of household duties and chores, care for themselves and take care of me. I couldn’t brush my hair, brush my teeth, dress, or feed myself. I was helpless, and for the first time in my life, I wasn’t in control. No longer the busy mom who did everything for everyone, I was humbled.

This humility led to a place of absolute surrender. I spent most of my time in prayer because that was one of the only things I could do. It is amazing what God will do in our hearts when we are quiet and still before Him. He can do far more than we can ask or imagine!

To make matters worse, we lost our insurance coverage for our special needs son who attended a full-time therapy school that was paid for by our insurance that cost $5, 000 a month. Knowing that we couldn’t afford to pay that much and that he would no longer be able to receive the care he needed, I began crying out to God in desperation, asking Him to intervene. Through my prayer and petition, God heard my cry and did something miraculous.

When my son was diagnosed with PDD – Pervasive Developmental Disorder, an autism spectrum disorder, at the age of three, it was a devastating blow to our family because there isn’t a cure for autism. After several years of being misdiagnosed, within weeks of my crying out to God, we ended up finding a doctor to diagnose his condition accurately. We learned he had Autoimmune Encephalitis and PANDAS. Although this is a severe diagnosis, there are treatments available to help.

Being brave for me meant giving up control and trusting that God’s plan for me and my family were good, even in the midst circumstances that seemed hopeless. God called me to be brave when I felt hopeless, but being brave for you will look different than being brave for me. I would encourage you to spend some time today thinking about an area that God is calling you to be brave in and ask Him for the courage you need to be brave today!

Being brave for me meant giving up control and trusting that God's plan for me and my family were good, even in the midst circumstances that seemed hopeless. -Misty Phillip Click To Tweet

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Misty Phillip is an author, blogger, and speaker. Misty shares about Christian Living, Faith, Home, Family and the books she loves at By His Grace – Seek Jesus, Study the Word, & Grow in Grace. Misty is married to the love of her life and best friend, Peter Phillip, and together they have three amazing young men and one precious daughter-in-law. In this new season of life, she encourages women through her writing and speaking to authentically live for Jesus.