Spanked But Kept - UBM [David Eells]

I'm not exactly sure of the dates, but I would like to share an example of God's protection over my life. (Praise God.) I was around 17 or 18 years old and was drinking heavily, and I had gotten into an argument with my then girlfriend. I left there in a rage and sped off. While driving, I passed out at the wheel, went off the roadway and slammed into a telephone pole. I don't remember anything after that, but God revealed Himself to me through people who witnessed to me about the incident. This happened around 2:00 am; there was but one witness (another driver heading the other way, what are the chances?) All I remember is passing out and waking up in the hospital the next morning.

So, let me try to put this in the order everything was revealed to me.

Upon waking up in the hospital, I quickly realized I could not breathe. I looked around and there was no one in the room with me. I could not call out with my voice and I could not reach the buzzer to call a nurse because I was naked and strapped to the bed. I realized I had to turn myself over to try and clear my airway. I noticed (God showed me) the straps that they had used to strap me down were made of an elastic material with Velcro. So I was able to stretch my hands together to undo the Velcro straps around one wrist and roll myself over. When I leaned over the edge of the bed, a large blood clot fell out of my mouth and hit the floor. Of course I breathed deeply and unstrapped myself. I looked into the mirror in the room and my face was a wreck. I had knocked out four teeth, ripped my bottom lip and had a lot of bumps and bruises over the rest of my body. No broken bones (praise God) but was very sore everywhere.

Why I was strapped to the bed was explained to me by my mother. When I was brought in to the hospital, Mom said I was very calm, almost at ease with the situation. Mom said I spoke to the doctors as if nothing had happened. This just amazed her because my face was such a wreck but the words that came out of my mouth were crystal clear and coherent. She said that when I was told to strip naked, so they could check for internal injuries, I became very belligerent and said there was no way I was going to strip. So they brought in some other doctors/nurses and strapped me to the bed and they stripped me and checked me for injuries. Mom said within a few minutes I was passed out.

Two days later, with health back as normal as could be, we went home. Within a few days of rest, I went back to work at the local grocery store, working as a bagger. It was about two weeks or so after the incident that the single witness to the incident came into the store and recognized me right away. He asked me if I remembered him. I said no, and he told me who he was. So I asked the gentleman to hang around until my break so I could talk with him. He agreed and told me the events that had transpired at the scene.

He said he saw me veer off the road and hit the pole, and he stopped to help me. (Praise God.) He said I was traveling extremely fast and hit the pole very hard. He said his first thought was there was no way I had survived. But to his astonishment I got out of the car, face all busted up, shut the car door and leaned up against the car with my elbow and sighed. He realized I was drunk and asked me if I would go home with him and he would sober me up before speaking to the police. My response was, "No, I am going to stay right here with my car until the cops get here". So he stayed there with me until the cops came. He said when I spoke to the cops I spoke clearly, coherently and very politely. He said the cop couldn't believe what he was seeing. Then the cop of course realized I needed medical attention, so he called the ambulance.

When I went to court for the DUI, the police officer said that he felt it was impossible for someone not only to have survived such an impact, but be able to get out of the car, stand there and speak so calmly like I did. They estimated I was traveling around 50-60 mph when I hit the pole and did not have a seat belt on. I, of course, did jail time for DUI and so on. (I thank God no one else was hurt; praise be to Him.)

I went to the junkyard to look at the car and the front end of the car was V-shaped. The car's make was a Horizon, a small compact hatchback car. In this style the spare tire is located in the back under a flap of cardboard/particle board and was not bolted down. It ended up in the passenger seat next to me, missing my head by about a foot or so. (I found two of my teeth on the floorboard that day.)

I never did have to go back to the doctor after leaving the hospital. The stitching in my gums and lip were the dissolving type. The Lord healed me completely with the exception of the four missing teeth. They're still missing.

I have come to realize there are no such things as accidents; God used this incident to reveal His tender mercies to me personally. God did ALL the walking and speaking for me and through me, through the whole incident. Here are a few points that He has revealed to me, to show that He had total control over the whole incident.

1. He woke me when I couldn't breathe -- could have asphyxiated in my sleep.

2. He pointed out to me the elastic Velcro straps so I could get loose -- they could have used anything to strap me down.

3. He kept me from getting angry and lashing out at the hospital. Because, a day or so after, I had shared the story with a couple friends. Each one said I should sue them for almost killing me because of the way they had laid me on my back, knowing I was bleeding from the mouth, and the blood would clot in my throat. (Apparently doctors should know better. All I know is I was grateful to be alive.)

4. How quickly He healed me (in a total of five days from the time I woke up, to the time I went back to work).

5. Showed His power to my mother, a police officer and a single witness, through the way I spoke to everyone during the entire incident. Everyone seemed to be amazed at how well I spoke each time I had to speak to someone.

I see now how God's sovereign will is being carried out through my life, all because of this one trial. Through my weakness he was made strong. He is the Almighty. I give ALL the Glory to Him for keeping me in a time when I was not myself, but was over taken by the spirit of drunkenness and rage. Thank you Jesus for caring and showing mercy to your undeserving and humbled servant.

Love, praise and blessings.

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