Kelsey’s got new wheels!

For a year and a half she’s been in a sporty little lime green wheelchair that she was given while at TIRR in Houston during her intensive stay there for rehab. following her car accident.  After the bulky electric power chair she first learned to control, this chair was her first taste of real freedom!  It was perfect for her and we all celebrated that she had regained enough mobility to be able to even use a manual chair.  It was exciting!  There was so much more maneuverability – getting in and out of the elevator was a breeze and the staff got used to darting out of the way as she learned to fly down the slick hallways.  It fit her personality, and it also fit her….and it’s been her chair-on-wheels ever since.

Last year Kelsey decided it was time to order a custom-made chair that would truly be designed for her, so she did her homework and after comparing dozens of makes, models, colors, and accessories, she had a good idea of what she wanted.  We had the opportunity to attend an event where representatives of that particular company were present, and Kelsey spent hours with them, discussing options, testing out a demo and finally ordering her new wheels.  That was in November, and finally….just a couple of weeks ago her new custom-made chair was hand-delivered by a company sales rep. straight to the house!

The first words to Kelsey from the saleswoman as she exited her car and began to get the chair out were, “I think you’re really going to like it!”  And, thankfully, she did!  After months of waiting for it to finally arrive, it truly was a beauty.  Her original chair was cute, but this chair is smaller, sleeker, has crazy-cool wheels with pops of blue among the shiny chrome and black – there is no doubt it is a Kelsey chair!

They spent a bit of time going over the mechanics and details and when Kelsey finally made the switch and sat back in her new chair, I could tell it felt different just by the look on her face.  She instantly felt the fit of something made just for her – and quickly started testing it out to see what it could do.  And then….along with what the new chair could do, she also discovered there were new things that she could do….

Kelsey’s spinal cord injuries left her unable to balance herself sitting up without holding or leaning or resting an arm or hand on something.  It’s how it’s been for a year and a half now….since she’s been in a wheelchair.  But in this chair….the one built just for her….she could suddenly raise both arms in the air with no other support!  There is no way to express how life-changing this is….we were all getting emotional as she kept trying other things she couldn’t do before – like leaning forward to pick up something off the ground without feeling like she would fly forward, and lift herself up without having to set the brakes.  Cooking….shopping….traveling….even playing cards – so much will be easier in this new chair, and until that day it was delivered, she didn’t even know what she was missing…..

There’s no “one size fits all” with God.  In Psalm 139 we find a beautiful description of the thought God took in creating us, and not just our bodies, but our unique spirits that fill the world with the light of Christ.  There is a “perfect fit” that I find as a Christian that I can’t explain but experience every day.  He gives me strength when I don’t think I can take another step, He holds me close when my tears fall like rain and he reminds me that I belong to Him – even though the world may crumble all around me, I know I’m secure in the hands of the one who knows me best and loves me most.  I have a choice, of course, but running from the very One who holds me together just doesn’t make sense.  =)

All of creation is designed by God for God, and we truly function more fully as we abide with Him.  And the only explanation I have for that is because His spirit lives in us – we belong together, and that belief is the only thing that convinces me I’ll emerge from this dark place of sorrow and sadness into a future where I not only find hope and healing, but where I also find there are new things waiting for me I could never have done before….

So here I am….for the billionth time….once again surrendering my life, my future, my plans, and even my family……and lean into the space that God has made just for me – the place where I belong. <3  And lest I sound greedy with this special place in God’s hand, you need to know that, though God is crazy about me….He is just as crazy about you, and there is nothing He desires more than to help you find your own place in Him.  =)