I Had a Vision

It was Friday, May 2, 1986, and the day started out like any other day, but it wasn't. Today would change our lives forever. Today, we would be moving to our new home, which was only a few blocks away. Bobby and I started racing downhill. I was twelve, and Bobby was only four years old. He was on his tricycle, and I was on his big wheel. I hit a high crack in the sidewalk and flipped over and over and over several times. I sat there for a few minutes in a complete daze, then I got up, dusted myself off, and we kept on walking to our new apartment. Over the weekend, I was fine. We started unpacking our things and getting settled in our new place. However, when I woke that Monday morning, I was paralyzed on my right side from my neck to my waist. I couldn't move my right arm. We didn't have any means of transportation at that time, so we walked about 20 miles to Metro General Hospital on Hermitage Avenue. My mother checked me into the pediatric clinic, and they sent me to get an X-ray of my neck. Then I returned to the clinic to await the results. A short time later, we saw two doctors running down the hall. They were coming towards me and yelling, "DON'T MOVE." When they reached me, one of the doctors had a brace in his hand. They told my mom and me that I had broken my neck and had to have surgery, so I was admitted right then.

On the first day in the hospital, they had to reduce the swelling around my spine in order to perform the surgery, so they put me in traction. Later that day, the doctors came into the room to explain the surgery to me. They told me that if they slipped even a milliliter, it could result in me being paralyzed for the rest of my life or even kill me; those were the risks of the surgery, which terrified me. The night before the operation, one of the nurses I knew from Born Again came into my room and we got on our knees and prayed.

Later that night, while I was still fully awake, I had a vision. The room became unbelievably bright. It was so bright I had to close my eyes for a moment to adjust to the brightness. I looked at the wall in front of me, and it looked like a movie was playing on it. On the top half was Jesus. He was dressed in a white robe and was more beautiful than words could ever possibly express. He was standing in front of a chalkboard with a pointer stick in his hand. He was talking firmly to Satan, who was standing below Him in a wall of flames. Satan was not ugly or scary like he is generally portrayed. Instead, he had black curly hair, and he was actually rather nice-looking. If you recall in the Bible, in Isaiah 14:12-15, this passage refers to the "morning star" or "Lucifer" who falls from heaven due to pride and ambition to ascend above God.

In this vision, Jesus and Satan were fighting over my soul. Satan said he wanted it, but Jesus said he couldn't have it because He had some unique plans for my life. Satan said if he couldn't have my soul, then he would make my life a living hell with numerous trials and tribulations. Jesus told him that I would be able to handle it because I was blessed. From that day on, I knew that I could overcome any obstacle that life put in my path.

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