How Would You Respond If You Were Suddenly Paralyzed From The Neck Down? Would You Still Consider God As Loving Tender And Powerful?

How would you respond if you were suddenly paralyzed from the neck down? Would you still consider God as loving, tender and powerful?  Would you still consider God to be good?  Here is a story of a lady who did just that.

Katherine Clark was just an average wife and mother with two young children when she was in a tragic playground accident in late May 2009. A little boy playing on the jungle gym fell and landed on Kate’s head, knocking her over and snapping her neck. Kate was paralyzed from the neck down. The doctors diagnosed her quadriplegic and said she would never walk again.

This terrifying prognosis could have been the end of the story. But instead, God chose to work a profound miracle in Kate’s life and in the life of her family.

Where I End: A Story of Tragedy, Truth, and Rebellious Hope (AFF Link)

By Katherine Elizabeth Clark

When I first saw this book come up for review, I wanted to read it because

-I know someone personally who is a quadriplegic and has a wonderful testimony for the Lord.

–Joni Eareckson Tada  also has a wonderful testimony

-I love to hear testimonies and was interested in reading about this one too.

I enjoyed hearing how the Lord greatly worked in the life of this author in the midst of this great trial.

I think Katherine Clark was motivated to write about her story in hopes that it would be a source of help and encouragement to someone else going through trials and testings.  I like to be around those who encourage and those whose faith is strong in the Lord.   This lady was great for this.  She did not pout in her circumstances, but looked to the Lord and trusted Him for the outcome.

The author was spiritually minded in everything she talked about.  She did not focus on herself, but on others. She loved her family dearly and her family loved her.  I love what she says at the beginning of the book in her dedication:

~for John – A promise is a bold thing.  Little did we know the audaciousness of our pledge to love each other forever-no matter what-until we found ourselves in the wreckage.  I knew I had a good man but did not know how very good until we met in this crucible.

~and for William and Gwyneth – You are the joy and love of the promise made so many years ago.  May you always know in the very fiber of your being the great love the Lord has for you and His power to keep you through every trial and tribulation – He is always the way home.

 

My dislikes regarding this book:

• There were a few things within that were against my own personal convictions, but honestly I can’t remember them and did not make a note of them.
• I did not like the fact that Mother Teresa was quoted.  Catholicism denies the truth of God’s Word and I’m disturbed when true believers are lumped together with others who appear to be good.  Here is a quote that sums it up:

What, then, is the importance of debunking the myth of Mother Teresa? The answer is this. Pastors of Protestant churches around the world continue to speak of Mother Teresa in saintly terms. They hold her up as the ultimate example of self-sacrifice for the sake of the gospel. From the pulpits they discuss how she responded to Christ’s Great Commission to spread the gospel to all lands. The reality, though, is that if she preached at all, she preached a false religion. In so doing she provides us with an example not of a Christian responding to God’s call, but an example of deeds of charity and compassion completely separated from the Truth.  ~Tim Challies

 

Quotes I liked:

“In our distress we either find solace by remembering who we need and to whom we belong, or we choose the path of despair, refusing to be gathered into the arms of the Father.  We either seek His kind face or deny ourselves His comfort.” (p. 30) 

“I cannot embrace our American notion of fairness, as I do not think that in order to be “fair” God is obligated to treat everyone the same.” (p.34) 

“Scripture teaches that Jesus became fully man without ceasing to be fully God.  When we look to Jesus, we begin to understand and know the triune God.  And when we look to Him we also begin to understand our own humanity.” (p. 100)

 

Although I do not agree with everything, this a great book of encouragement and comfort to those who may be physically handicapped or who are undergoing other trials.

So why “Where I End? This quote will sum it up.

“Those who are hidden in Jesus, though they suffer, will discover a more beautiful ending—or should I say beginning—than they ever could imagine.” -Katherine Elizabeth Clark