In episode 51 titled “Adversity can be a Blessing” James Bryan Smith tells the story of his friend Tim’s biking accident. Tim’s story of healing is an amazing one but there is even more to this story. A few months after his accident, while Tim was driving home from church, he noticed a pair of eyes looking at him from the road. Unsure of what he saw, he turned around to go and see what it was. When he arrived he found a man lying on the ground in extreme pain next to a damaged bicycle. The man’s name was Bernie and he had been riding at the Boulder Valley Velodrome in Erie when he was hit by a van, whose driver kept going instead of stopping to help. Tim immediately called an ambulance and stayed with Bernie until they arrived telling him, “I was in this same situation as you, if they can fix me they can fix you. Everything is going to be okay.” Bernie made it to the hospital and was in critical condition, had it not been for Tim, Bernie says, he may not have lived.

Tim was a guardian angel for Bernie, he visited Bernie serval times in the hospital and they have formed a very strong friendship. Later on Tim’s father asked him, “if you had not been in your own biking accident, would you have noticed Bernie in the ditch that night?” Time replied, “I am not sure, but I know this, my awareness of life and my appreciation of life, and my focus on letting God lead me, has made me a different person. Bernie and Tim have become good friends and Bernie is now on the road to recovery, he hopes to be out of the hospital by November.

This however is not the end of Tim’s story. He reached out to the person who had hit him and wanted to let her know that he was doing well and that she did not need to feel guilty about what had happened. Tim set up a time to meet with her and he told her Bernie’s story. She was overwhelmed and began to cry, but Tim let her know that had he not been through his accident he may have never saved Bernie’s life. This story of healing is amazing on so many levels. May we all turn to God in our times of trial, and may we all live with eyes wide open so that God can use us to rescue those who are lost and hurting.

Related episodes:
1. Adversity can be a Blessing
2. The Gift of Pain
3. Episode 00
4. Spiritual Mirror
5. Jesus is Praying for You