Brothers in stroke…
I have an idea how Dave Theis feels.
Of course, I really don’t KNOW how he feels, but I have an idea.
Who is Dave Theis?
He is a gospel singer from Central PA…a member of a trio known as Brothers in Grace. B.I.G. is not a “big name” group, but a group of dedicated weekend warriors devoted to communicating the gospel message in song.
A little over a week ago, Dave was rehearsing with his group when he suffered a stroke. I was told that once he arrived at the hospital, there he suffered another one. Having gone through that experience just over four years ago myself(thankfully only once in my case), I know the shock that a presumably healthy person can go through when something outside one’s control hits like lightning, and leaves a permanent impression on its’ victim.
I was told about Dave’s strokes by a very good friend of mine who was called on to fill in for Dave that weekend in his absence. All went well for B.I.G. in Dave’s absence…my friend is a renowned and experienced singer, and after the weekend was over, my friend, knowing what I went through four years ago, asked me if I would send Dave an e-mail of encouragement. Despite the fact that I don’t even know Dave except for what my friend told me about him, I knew right then what I needed to do.
I dashed off a quick e-mail to Dave, telling him that I knew how anxious he must feel, and that he must not allow his setback to demoralize or deter him from his mission in life. There will be times when he might feel helpless about not being able to do everything that he may have taken for granted before, and times where he’ll feel so frustrated at his station in life, he’ll want to punch or break something…yet he mus be patient and trust the One Who made him to help him cope with his sudden infirmities…and let his fate rest in God’s hands.
This was the tough lesson I had to learn….thank God I was not afflicted in the same way Dave is. My friend visited Dave in the hospital today, and told me Dave was in good spirits despite his right side being afflicted for the time being.
My motor functions were spared from harm. All that was affected was my speech…which is better than what most go through. Unfortunately for me, I’ve been making my living through talking for almost 20 years, and it was(and still is)somewhat traumatic for me to suddenly have to let go of a lot of the duties I’d been doing for all that time. Even though I had ostensibly given my life to Christ, I was still deriving much of my self-worth from the work I did, and God used my stroke to help draw me closer to Him…so that I would be forced to rely on Him alone, the way He’s always wanted me to.
In that time, God has shown me(and still IS showing me)that I am NOT my work…that He gives us precisely what we need to do what we must do in our lives. In my case, yes, my speech was affected, but my verbal abilities were not, nor was my memory…nor any other bodily function. I could still express myself well through writing, so He enabled me to have the opportunity to write about something I loved…gospel music…and share what I loved with the rest of the world through the internet. I am still learning…I’ll never stop learning…but I’m still able to use what God’s given me for the edification of His kingdom here on earth.
So what has that to do with Dave? Well, I suspect that God still has great tasks for Dave to do…and based on the early returns on Dave’s condition, if Dave keeps his eyes on the prize, and trusts God to take him where he is and use him further from there, Dave will continue to be an inspiring “brother in grace” for those he comes in contact with.
As my speech has recovered to the point that I’m still ableto host one radio show still each week, so Dave may also be restored to a point where he can continue to sing of the message of Christ to others, regardless of what degree of mobility he may have remaining.
Strokes are NOT a good thing to have…but God can take any event in a person’s life, such as sickness or grief or some other apparent setback, and make that person one with Him, as we are all made to be. I look forward to the eventual happy ending in Dave’s story…and in hearing how God’s kingdom on earth was built up because Dave Theis refused to allow his infirmity to become a permanent setback….but instead, carried on to victory in Jesus.
Please join me in prayer for Dave Theis…and don’t forget, the best is yet to come!
Posted on Mar 13, 2006 - 08:17 PM | [0]
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