Head Injury Victim

Good morning…

I’m not very good at big parties, since small talk is not my forte. So when my old friend’s annual Christmas cookie party rolls around, I walk in through the familiar back door with internal questions swirling. “Who will I talk with?” “Will I anxiety-eat too much?” “Might I just drink sparkling water?” Last night began similarly and ended quite differently.

After meandering through the rooms and catching up with people I have shared life with over the years, I settled into an unexpected conversation.

“Your son is making a huge difference in my son’s life and the lives of the guys in his fraternity,” one woman said, fighting back tears. (Our 29 year old son, Kyler, is the director of Campus Outreach, a newly forming campus ministry at the University of Georgia.) “Instead of their regular Bible study tonight, they are hosting a prayer vigil for one of their close friends who is fighting for his life after a fluke accident which has caused a traumatic brain injury.”

As she went on to explain the life-threatening situation, another mother joined our conversation. Her own son had been given a one percent chance of survival following a drug overdose this year. Empowered by the prayers of so many of us, her son miraculously came through the horrible ordeal. With his family’s loving support, he is now working daily to find a healthy new normal to support the gift of his life.

“Please join me in praying for this young man who fell out of the back of a pick up truck and is in a medically induced coma right now,” said the first mom. We all three agreed to diligently pray.

After filling my plate with a wide variety of Christmas cookies, I walked out the front door with another old friend. When I got into my car, I read our family group text.

Kyler had just written to us within the hour: “One of the guys in our SAE Bible study fell out of a truck bed last night and hit his head really badly. He’s now in a medically induced coma. His name is Gleaton. Would love for everyone to be praying for a miraculous recovery for him.” He added, “SAE has gone through so much this past year. They had a brother die last November, a pledge die in a car accident over the summer, and now this guy who is a senior.”

“Up praying for Gleaton,” I just wrote into our family text stream in the middle of this night. “I’m asking for prayers from our blog community, which has leaned in close to pray for so many in deep need over the years.”

So, please join me in the privilege of praying for Gleaton, his family and his many friends. Let’s also lift in prayer the weary families wrestling with the impact of addiction this holiday season. I don’t know exactly how prayer works, but I do know that time and time again I have been told, “Sue, I can feel the power of people’s prayers.”

With repeated stories of ordinary people gaining strength from our collective prayers, my hope grows thicker. So listen, God, to this determined prayer of your servant. Have mercy… Act out of who you are… (Daniel 9:17, MSG).

…Sue…