Today my family will trek down to Atlanta Medical Center, a place which became an unwelcome part of our lives last Summer after the collision which severely injured my precious lady. Our appointment is with Amy’s pain doctor who is a skilled professional who has shown great kindness to our family in his care of Amy. We are taking the kids with us and will enter the dingy building in a part of town that I’m not overly fond of due to the memories we made there. Few of us enjoy doctors visits. None of us are eager to look a medical professional in the eye and hear from him what he has determined we should do with our undeniable affliction. Moments like today remind me of how strongly we must lean upon God at times and I have never done so without finding Him (again) supremely reliable. Our God is good and no intimidating tasks should obscure that from us.
So this morning I post a personal request instead of a devotional piece for you to chew on. A good friend encouraged me to communicate clearly that the Lyles still battle and stand in need of your prayers when it comes to adjusting to a new path in life that includes limitations. I hurt for Amy on many days as I know her mind is as sharp as ever, her will is resolute, her spirit is hungry…but her right leg has not fully healed. Some may ask, “Jeff, she broke her leg last year – aren’t you guys milking this a little?” This is where things get awkward for me because Amy and I have no desire for sympathy or to serve as distractions when others have their own burdens to bear. Yet, at the behest of my friend I ask you to pray for our wisdom and simply receive this explanation as coming from a friend who wants to make sure other friends understand where we are these days.
Amy’s leg was crushed last year, not merely broken. Her surgeon told us that the bones exploded and he literally picked out and threw away multiple shards of bone when he worked on her. She broke her arms, all her ribs, her sternum, both hands and her left wrist. Thank God her pretty face was not touched! The healing for all her other injuries was amazing…but we have not been able to see that right leg and ankle experience the same release from its damage. I posted the X-ray above so you can see the amount of titanium hardware that is situated in that ankle, attached to bone, connected to joints and affixed with putty. My wife is 1/8th bionic! Arthritis has built up in the whole ankle area and she experiences high levels of pain all day every day as she struggles to walk. The medication prescribed for her is very powerful but she feels that the best thing for her to do is to limit her intake of it so that she can live in some measure of freedom, care for our children and me and serve in her church on Sunday mornings and some Sunday evenings. It’s a Catch 22: take enough medication to relieve the pain and live with mental fog and inhibited motor skills or do what she desires to do by taking a fraction of the meds and accomplish what God allows day by day in spite of the pain and loss of endurance. By the way, this is a great time for me to insert that she is my hero. She almost never complains and when she does it is certainly understandable. She has never made this tragedy about her. She deeply misses her mom who died from her own injuries suffered that day in the collision. Our children scarcely know that Amy suffers because she is the devoted mom who eats the pain and so her children won’t have to. Why am I putting all this out here for you to read? My friend said that people simply don’t know what we are facing and that some may not understand the difficulty we are entrusted with. He told me that people cannot pray with us if we leave them in ignorance and that our necessity was more important than our privacy. Additionally, some have misunderstood her absences from church as indifference and playing the “damaged goods card” in order to lay out of our gatherings – that one hurts me as her husband! They do not remember that was never her pattern before June 16, 2011 and that she would do anything to be able to regain her former stamina and worship when the church doors were open or be alongside of me at weddings and funerals and dinners. We have chosen not to say too much by way of rebuttal to these misunderstandings but, in honor and defense of my noble lady, I tell you that she is doing more than most of us would ever do if we were forced to swap places with her. I watch her and learn. She must be a strong daughter of God for Him to entrust her with this burden. I’ve never loved her more than today.
We will be heading out soon to see Dr. Howard. He’s going to say some things that will impact the next 6-12 months. We will listen to Him but, in the end, we are listening for God. Occasionally people ask how they might serve us or help us or be a blessing to us. We have everything we need from the material world and are blessed to see God’s provision to our family. We are surrounded by encouraging family, friends and church family. We have the joy of Jesus flowing in our hearts and we have been graced to not despair – not even once – of His plan for us. If you would like to know how you can truly help, please do this: pray for a release from her pain. Pray for her full healing. Medically it cannot happen…that is why we don’t bow at the altar of medicine. Yes, our request to you is to pray for us. You might say, “Jeff, your request is a little trite and churchy sounding.” Well…only if you don’t do it on our behalf. If you do join in this with us, it is a great comfort and practical partnership which we are trusting will yield bountiful fruit in time to come.
Thanks for reading and hearing my heart. She’s my lady and the most important person in the world to me. I’m blessed to stand by her.
i am praying for Amy’s full recovery and for your family. I thank God for the Transforming Truth ministry. Praying God’s blessings for you and this ministry.
My heart aches for you both. I know a little of what it is to watch your own dearly beloved so limited day by day and suffering pain that nobody can see or appreciate. The LORD bless you and keep you, the LORD make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The LORD lift up the light of His countenance upon you, and give you peace.
Thank you, Jeff and Amy, for allowing us to have insight into this personal matter. It will be a privilige and honor to pray for you. Spurgeon: ” When we pray, we are standing in the palace before God`s throne. We are on the glittering floor of the great King`s reception room, and thus we are placed on advantaged ground. Shall we come with stunted requests and a narrow, contracted faith? No, for it does not become a King to be giving away pennies. Our God distributes pieces of broad gold. Oh that we always felt this way when we came before the throne of grace! Then He would do “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.” ( Eph 3:20).- We can also begin to thank God in advance for what He is doing for Amy and will do for her.!! –
You both are in our prayers on a daily basis…..we started that prayer practice, after only having known you, a month. You spoke to us so faithfully following God’s word and expounding on it. You have served so faithfully and our precious Amy also serving in music as well in so many other things and continues as she is able. The accident was devistating for each of you, but there are those in the church who felt your pain along with you, not that we could realize how severe that pain was but our hearts ached for each of you. We now watch Amy sing with such intensity of spirit, and are blessed, knowing that just to stand is so painful for her. May God Bless each of you very richly and may He continue His healing for dear
Amy. My words are inadequate to really express our love for you and your family, but
just know we hold you up before the Lord.
I do not know you personally – but my daughter, Mary Beth, and her husband, Michael, served with you for a year or so. Yesterday, I was not feeling well and stayed home from church. We found your broadcast and sat and wept through the entire message. It so spoke to us right where we are. We left our position as Worship Leader at our church 2 months ago because our pastor was divorcing his wife of 35 years without Biblical grounds, and he was not stepping down as pastor. We prayed for 6 months before God led us to stand for His Word. Needless to say, we are financially drowning and facing bankruptcy and foreclosure. But your words from the Word of God helped us to realize that we will not second guess the will of God.
And then to read of your struggles and how you are facing them really touched my heart. I remember Mary Beth telling me of your wife’s terrible accident, and we prayed. We will take up that prayer again. Thank you for being so open – so truly dedicated to God and His glory.
Blessings,
Pat and Greg Young
I do not know either you or your wife. I live in Mobile, Al. I do know one of your church membes, Nadine Bell.
She informed me last year, when all of these trials began. I am so very thankful to see that you are being VERY transparent and honest about what is really going on in your life. What a picture of love you have for our LORD and for your Bride Amy. I will be praying for her that God will give her supernatural strength to endure what He has allowed. There will ALWAYS be those among us who watch us go through our trials with critical eyes but I am thankful for those who are watching with eyes of compassion! May God continue to strenghten you as the Shepherd of this flock of sheep as well as goats. May YOU continue to look to Lord for His approval and His strength. May His name be lifted up and praised as He does what ONLY He can do in your lives.
While reading this I couldn’t help but think of 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.
Verses 9&10 have become encouraging to me because I’m reminded where my strength comes from and God can still be glorified despite my weaknesses and imperfections.
I think of Ms.Amy when I read these verses because she is a walking testimony of God’s power and strength. To have gone through that much and still stand and praise God through the pain – that is such a blessing and encouragement to me. It definitely makes me think twice about how I react to my problems and sufferings.
Ms.Amy is a good example of what it means to be an overcomer in Christ. Praying for you all today! I love the Lyles 🙂
Hi Lyles, I have such love and respect for you all that I would never ever think that you could be milking anything. I am so ever thankful for God above for steering me to Meadow, using another church member as the vessel to invite me to attend. I will continue to keep all of you in my prayers and as much as I no we all want to guard our privacy, please do not ever hesitate to just ask. I am assured God will equip me to to avail whatever the Lyle need may be. Nadine
I will keep her in prayer. Our cancer battles were going strong around the time of her accident and she has often been on my mind. “The fellowship of suffering” makes you feel a strange sort of bond. I will be going to the Lord on her behalf more often.
Just to re-affirm, son. We are praying for healing in and for your whole family, including Danny who lost so much last year. I am asking the Lord to heal not only Amy’s body but her soul’s loss of her mother. Please let her know this until I see her next when I can tell her myself.
“People cannot pray with us if we leave them in ignorance and that our necessity was more important than our privacy.”
So glad the friend shared that … and that you responded with the details.
Praying with you and for you
David