Motorcycles and Miraculous Mercies

Welcome to Hope in the Morning. turning tragedies and tears into testimonies of hope. Welcome to Hope in the Morning. I'm your host, Emily Curtis, and my co-host, Robbie Delmore. And today we are joined by Faith Jackson.

And we talk a lot about God's goodness on this show, but today we're going to talk about how He's good even in the darkest of our days. And we have the privilege of sharing the story of how God showed His miraculous mercies in your life. And Faith, I first found you on Instagram because you share about how God showed His mercies to you in such a Big trial that you went through. And so, can you share with us what that trial was? Yes, it was february first, twenty twenty four.

My son was in a motorcycle, street bike accident. He ran into a vehicle who had decided to do a last minute turn. Right in front of him.

So he T-boned that vehicle, was flown Over the car, 115 feet is where he landed. And it was just a miraculous recovery considering all of the damage that was done in that moment. He was pronounced dead on scene, so it was a very traumatic event. Wow.

So when you first got the phone call about that accident, the police officers told you that your son had died. It was actually my older son. that called me. He could not get a hold of anybody and His story is like, oh man, I'm the one that has to call mom. And so he called me and.

Didn't tell me in so many words, but I kept asking, Is he alive? Is he okay? And he just said, You got to go to the hospital, you got to go to the hospital. And I kind of just knew. I there's There was just a gut feeling in that moment.

And I said, He didn't make it, did he? And he goes, Mom, we'll talk about it at the hospital. Let's just get to the hospital. How old was Trevor at the time? Trevor was 20.

Okay. Yep, twenty years old, baby of the family. What what thoughts were going through your head? As you made that drive to the hospital. The drive to the hospital was a little chaotic.

I started out being pretty erratic and.

Something told me, you've got to at least make it to the hospital. Don't hurt anyone else on your way to the hospital.

So logic prevailed, and I slowed down, but I had. Spent the entire time on the phone trying to find out, um. how he was doing. I was trying to get in touch with the hospital and By the time I arrived I still hadn't been successful.

So the entire drive was Try to Talk hands-free and drive slow and take deep breaths while trying to pray, while trying to get a hold of my mom, all the things.

So, you had to make that drive by yourself. I did. I did. I was home alone, and it was rough. But, um,.

Prior to the drive was the crazy part. I had Everything's a long story, so how do I briefen this? I was in our music room singing a worship song. I was singing Shout to the Lord. I hadn't.

Heard or sang that song in forever, but it was in a back the background of a video on Instagram.

So I was right in the middle of singing that song when I got the phone call, and actually, it's recorded, so you can hear me. Oh. Trevor Burrus, Jr. Um me answered the phone in that phone call, but Right when I got off the phone, I literally felt the Lord saying, ask me. Ask me, what do you need?

And I was like, I need you to bring Trevor back from the dead, I think. I think that's what I would like. And so he really prompted me in that desperation from the very beginning. Mm. Uhhuh.

So once you once you did get to the hospital, What did what did the what did the staff there tell you? I had worked at a hospital, so I kind of felt like I knew. The ambiance and the environment. It was really Depressing. The nurses walked out.

They said they needed to get a doctor. There were three of them, one on each side of me and one in front of me. And I kept thinking, are they standing like this in case I pass out? They're not able to tell me anything.

So it must be like, I knew only. a medical doctor could maybe announce, you know, a death So while I was waiting, I just went into the bathroom. I remember praying, going, Aren't I supposed to pass out? Can I at least get like a five-minute pass on this timeline right now? None of that happened.

And so. By the time the doctor came out. They Um He said, Your son is in whatever room. And I went, He's not dead. You know, I was just.

Anything at that point was great news, so there was. There was a gift right from the start. They could have told me anything. As long as he wasn't dead, there was still hope. And so I Apparently, I take to running when I get stressed out.

So he ran outside and kept praying, like, oh my gosh.

Okay, well since you did that, let's keep going. Yeah. Wow.

How how did you feel the Lord strengthen you during those few s first few days that you were in the hospital with Trevor? Yeah, that is my testimony. What two things how he showed up prior to the accident, how Everything was in divine order and laid out exactly how it needed to be for me to handle that. And second, how he showed up. Yes, I called on him, but I even felt him put that in my heart.

I mean, it was more not of how I reached up, but how he reached down to me. He grabbed me. He was like, oh, I know what you're going through. He was so merciful. And I.

It was overwhelming. Um To feel the God of the universe right next to me. It was surreal. It was really, and a lot of times I cried out of fear of the Lord. Just f fear of the this power and and this God I've always believed in is hundred thousand times more real than I ever even made him.

In my own heart. It was. Unbelievable. It was just a spiritual feeling of walking with him, and he was holding me. I didn't have to ask for a hug.

He was squeezing me. I mean, it was just undeniable. I apologize because I don't know much about the situation, but. Was your husband involved? What was going on there?

Oh, yeah. Husband was at work. And that was a chaotic story.

So he was supposed to have a doctor appointment.

So I didn't even try to bother him. Turns out he was too busy at work. He had to cancel it.

So he had heard the lights and sirens, the accident. Actually, the fire station's right next to his work.

So he had been praying for whoever That ambulance was going to serve. Yeah, and without knowing.

So it took me a couple of hours to get a hold of my husband.

So I had went through all this, leaving him the 911 text messages and the frantic phone calls. And then he got to the hospital. He was the last one to get to the hospital. Mm. You talked a minute ago about how God showed you some miraculous mercies that actually started before Trevor even took off on his motorcycle.

What were those? Yeah. Okay, uh the two biggies were um I had lost my job. Almost a year prior to the accident. And For everyone who knows me, knows how odd and out of left field that was.

I felt like that was one of the more secure things in my life. I had a wonderful job I loved. I felt very well respected. And that was the first time, truly, in my entire life, I felt a thought that was not my own telling me. I felt like it was the Holy Spirit saying, This is me.

I'm making a move.

So just calm down. And I'm a. Uh oh. I hate to say wanted to retaliate, but I have a big personality.

So it was like, we're not going to freak out. We're not going to say, this is unfair. And I literally, for the first time in my life, let.

something happened to me. that I thought was Unfair, and I didn't want to have happen because the Lord was very clear that He was making a move.

So, of course, I thought, oh my gosh, what's my new job going to be? He had led me to this job. I was just very excited for the future. And in that time frame, dozens of little moments. I was shown that I was to take one year, and I wanted to read my Bible mostly to.

For lack of better words, I guess to show the devil he wasn't gonna win. Anger wasn't gonna win in my heart. I wasn't going to be a hothead. I was going to refine myself through this. I'm not going to be faith.

I'm going to be these fruits of the spirit. I'm just going to try to live these out and see what happens, not doing it my way for once. And it was beautiful that whole time period. I just kept reading my Bible. And then it's like, what?

What am I supposed to be discovering? What am I supposed to learn? I'm in a valley, so let's gather all the tools I need for when we go to this mountaintop, is how I pictured it. And it. He clearly said, You need to get to know me.

You need to know who I am.

So I went way back Old Testament: like, what did God do for his people? How did he show up? And I really. hadn't felt closer To the Lord in my entire life than I did the day of that accident. And that was all.

All him, drawing me closer to him, drawing me nearer. I mean, the Bible studies I did the week right before the accident. A hundred percent exactly what I needed. And so. when Trevor got hurt.

I didn't feel like I was reaching out to a stranger or someone where I had to say, oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. It's been a while, but I need your help. It was just like, asking my best friend What are you going to do? Either please bring him back. I don't want to grieve, or you're really going to have to help me here.

And then. Um you may be have read about the helmet story. Is this a good time for that?

Okay, the helmet story is wild. I try to stay away from Trevor's bike. It was not something we were excited about. It sure I told everyone that it grew my prayer life because every time I saw it, I would pray over the spike. the morning of the accident Trevor asked me to help him with his helmet and I whatever reason, I I woke up that morning and went in.

For the first time in four years of him writing, paid attention to this Helmet, he had. He wanted me to put speakers in it, which I was against. I thought he couldn't hear road noise. I had worked on this helmet, and at the very end, I said, let me. Let me see this thing, and it felt a little loose.

It was a brand new helmet he had got. Um Yeah. And I Know nothing about helmets, and I know that this is not ideal, but I had him hook or pull his hoodie up. on his coat and tuck it in because It made it so much tighter. Trevor's like, I'm not gonna do that.

I said, well you need to and if you know just put it behind your ears. He was complaining about not hearing his music. I just said, I really feel you need to do that. There was a strap that was broke we looked into. We learned this not to tie.

We were flinging it all over the room. Uh the last photos of Trevor For whatever reason, these were captured.

Some of the only footage we ever have that his friend took. Trevor's riding off on his bike, and his hoodie is tucked into his helmet. And you can see the knot. There's a friend tying the knot in his helmet. And The way he did 115 feet with the motion that he did, the officers were so surprised that that helmet stayed on and the way that helmet performed.

And I just know who prompted that moment in the morning. And everyone says, Oh, it was the doctors who saved Trevor, and on and on. And there's a million stories, but what I always say is. I'll tell you what, if God hadn't have taken care of that helmet in the morning, they would have had nothing to save.

Well, when we come back, we're going to talk about not only all of the mercies that the Lord showed you after you found out that Trevor did indeed miraculously survive, but also the different challenges that you have faced now with his rehab and how he is walking through that as well, and how you're encouraging him through that.

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I am joined today with Faith Jackson and my co-host, Robbie Delmore. And we are talking about your son's motorcycle accident, Faith. That Trevor had a severe motorcycle accident, and yet God miraculously spared his life. And you just told us how. All of these different elements that went into his helmet, that was one of the physical ways that God did choose to use to spare his life.

And yet, on your way to the hospital, you thought that your son was not going to be alive, and you were preparing your heart for that. You shared with us how you had spent the last year in God's providence pouring into the character of God so that you could rest in that. Here, you thought you were in this valley, and yet the Lord took you into a deeper valley. What, what, what? Did you discover and cling to even more tightly during this next valley?

of the character of God. Who What I poured into you was just his word. and his promises um deeply. And Honestly, it Knowing The Lord intimately, like I had grown to that last year, made it beautiful and more difficult because. Ah.

There's a safety in saying God's going to heal my son. I know he's going to do it. I know he can do it. And just living in this. you know Only faith and only hope, which is a way.

And if God's putting that on someone's heart, you absolutely. Take it and run with it. Because everything he laid on my heart was truth, looking back. But in the moment, there was this spiritual warfare of knowing. People suffer.

People suffer. I have prayed deeply for things that were answered with a no, and I do not claim to know the will of God or why things work. The way they work.

So I knew God could do it. I knew He cared about me deeply. And I, and I. Knew I was to ask, and so we would always ask, but I also knew this is Trevor's story and. God has a plan for Trevor.

And I'm simply to allow this trial, I've been praying for trials, to teach me perseverance and to use it as a huge opportunity of refinement. And so I just. for the first time in my life. Let go of all control. 'Cause I didn't want to screw it up.

Selfishly, I didn't want to be responsible. For the outcome. I wanted it to be done God's way, and then I could at least rest knowing. this is how it was supposed to be and we were obedient in it. And we're going to trust it.

When you surrendered that control, did you? Did you have a feeling of freedom and peace that came over you? completely and I I feel arrogant saying I surrendered it because I didn't have a choice. at all.

So I, God really put me in a position where. I could either just freak out or trust him, but there was no opportunity. And I noticed myself. The minute I started to have an opportunity for control, I'd start to Take it back or question.

So it was always going, oh, what am I doing?

So it's still, you know, human nature always tries to. Disrupt his perfection.

So I just rested in it because there was literally nowhere else to go. I was. I was caged in. And I I'm grateful for that opportunity 'cause I don't know if I ever would have laid myself out like that and had the chance to see how perfect his ways are.

So so when you say you You you poured into the scripture at one point in time. Where did you go? Yeah. Oh my gosh.

So I played the game of Lord, speak to me. I'm going to open my Bible and this. Beautiful verse shall be revealed. And I always got knowledge and wonderful verses out of that. But through this time in my life, Um It was major.

The very first I a chaplain gave me a Bible at the hospital. In First Peter five, it's six through ten. And I do not have that memorized, but it was just what I needed. And it was telling me that other brothers and sisters are going through this. That in his perfect time he will bring about healing and renewal, and that we are to trust in him, humble ourselves, and be aware of our adversary.

And looking back, I could not find a better verse in the entire Bible or verses. To have carried me through that.

So he really just. spoke to me. I I it just wasn't It was too easy. It was just again.

So merciful. Mercy is just, and grace are like the two words that just. Surround my brain now when I think of the Lord. You have that verse, Robbie, that we can read? I started to look it up anyway.

It's 1 Peter 5, right? Isn't that yeah, 5, 6 through 10. And it says Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that ye may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you. Be sober, be viligent, because your adversary, the Devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom He may devour. And that says, whom resists steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

But the God of all grace who hath called us unto his eternal Glory by Christ Jesus. After that ye have suffered a while make you perf Yeah, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle your good old King James English. But like you had said, you know, a lot of us, you quote pieces of that, especially the roaring line and the stuff. But then you've made it just a gigantic point that really is, that so many people are facing so many similar things and and the and the viligence that like you said, there are It's like for such a time as this he had all that in one package for you. Mm-hmm.

Really, truly. And it's it's been that way ever since. I mean, just the perfect sermon, uh, the per he just brings, he knows what we need. And if we ask him for it, he just brings it flawlessly The hardest thing is just our own getting out of my own head and wanting to doubt. Or I don't I actually don't like to use the word doubt.

How about this? Three weeks into our situation. One of our biggest prayer warriors, dear friends of ours, lost their daughter. Their 20-year-old daughter to a drowning accident. Wow.

As they are praying and fasting and deeply consoling us and reading us the word of God.

So that rocked my world. Because it just goes to show you that his plan is not always our plan. And then there's survivor's guilt. How would. There's nights where I thought, would I this be a better testimony if he hadn't have survived?

Like, does God maybe God's giving me time with my son before he takes him? And just trusting that, however this plays out, I had to be okay with. Um and was hard.

So I I just said, I'm gonna need you regardless, Lord.

So Don't leave me. Faith, do you feel like is that a big reason why you have so openly shared on like your Instagram platform and stuff because of the encouragement that you got from that passage even in 2 Peter, you know, where you're talking about how you're not alone in your struggles? Yes. Is that part of why you share? Yes.

Sharing, I didn't know my Instagram was public.

So, I wanted to make a beautiful video for my husband. I don't know much about social media at all. And I made this video for Father's Day, and I woke up the next morning to 20,000 people following my page with beautiful encouragement, prayers, I mean, prayer warriors, which prayer has been a huge theme throughout this. I've struggled with that. The Lord knows our deep conversations about that.

And there was a piece of him going, Here's a chance. Let me tell you all about prayer.

So people have showed up for us. with that. And so that just happened organically um it It's so hard for me because I want to respond to every single person. I have met families that are suffering. I have, we drove to Canada, and I just.

The Lord, when? When do we go? You know, and we go now. Yes, I'm trying to heal Trevor, but the Lord can heal Trevor with me sitting in my closet praying. That's going to happen.

And people are like, oh, you have a lot of stuff to do with Trevor. It's like, no, I have a lot of stuff to do on earth before the last day of my life, which I never know when. And so that urgency has come out of this situation too. It was like a veil was lifted. Maybe for, I wish it would have been forever, but it was this short period of time one day where I just saw how.

what are what am I doing? Wh why am I getting in a car and going to work and just the cycle of life? It's just It was just a really big moment where I just gotta tell people about Jesus. I think I got to tell everybody. And My testimony of how he showed up, I just didn't know.

I think I was not making God big enough. or understanding how much he loved me. I didn't, like I said, I didn't have to walk to the top of the mountain or crawl through a desert. I just went to look for him and he was right. there.

Every day. Yeah. It and so the hard thing now being home is not having that time. That, you know, you're busy and you got a house and you want to mow the yard and do all these things, but there's this. Beauty and just the simplicity.

I stopped my life for six months and sat in a hospital, and nothing fell apart. Yeah. Nothing. Yeah. It's just, it's just all about, it was so pure.

Moment and the Lord, thankfully, gave me so much peace that I could just live. in the moment, every single day. And just try to take whatever beauty that day offered, which is not. Not me.

Okay. The big planner. What's one of the ways the Lord transformed you than through your trial, which is incredible? Did did Trevor's accident result in a traumatic brain injury? Yes.

Okay. So he, there's different kinds of TBIs. He has a diffuse axonal injury, is the name, which those are. Pretty traumatic. And his is a level three, which means all three sections of the brain are affected, including the brainstem, which is usually a big bummer.

We were told it was the worst DAI3 brain injury they had ever seen. And in that moment. I ran out of the room. I guess I never was really interested in anything other than what God had to say, which again is not like me. I want knowledge.

I'm taking notes. That was the Lord laying on my heart. Don't listen to them. Ask me, what am I saying? And I opened my Bible to how.

I don't remember, but I remember the story where he was reducing the size of armies. And he also laid David and Goliath on my heart about how he's gonna make now that this is impossible, everyone will know the miracle. It's it can only be The Lord. And so I understood that. And so the more hopeless they would make it, I would be like, yeah, let's keep going.

Let's show them it's you. Period. Gideon's story, right? We're the ones that were left in the water. Gideon's army.

That's right. Correct.

So, yeah, I mean, he just. He answered my questions when I when I asked, but I'll tell you, I've never prayed. like I did in that moment. There Now, I understand when I'm reading the Bible or hearing stories of people deeply praying. I mean, it is.

You're just gutted, you have nothing nowhere else to go.

Well, one of the things that you were saying that. that I I would like to just kind of touch on with with before we before we Tie up this portion is the fact that when you know God's word and you know his character, you can rest in his goodness, like you had mentioned earlier, even when the answer is no. Because, you know, like you're saying that you knew that the worse things were, the more miraculous it would be. And in your situation, absolutely, it turned out that way. And that's so incredible and amazing.

And God gets all the glory for that. But there's also times when God's answers are no. And God still is good, and God still will be faithful in those moments. And so, when we come back, we're going to talk about in the podcast portion, we're going to talk about what are some of the challenges that you guys face now, and how have you seen God's mercies in your new normal day-to-day life?

So, if you're listening on the radio, I encourage you to go listen to us. This episode will drop on Tuesday, and it's Hope in the Morning, wherever you listen to podcasts, or you can go and watch the show on YouTube at Hope in the Morning Backstage. Since you went home, no. Hang on, before we go to that, because that was so awesome. Interestingly, was looking at different references this morning, just where God took me.

Um To the Messiah prior to, because the word Messiah is not used all that much. That ends up being translated Christ in the New Testament. That's the same word anointed, only it's in Greek rather than in Hebrew. But the word Messiah is used a couple times in Leviticus about a certain high priest, but you know, one of the first people to mention it. In the Old Testament, A real prof prophecy was in Hannah's prayer.

Okay, and Hannah is now praising God. And I thought about your passion, you think about, and you can hear her passion, right? And those prayers were, I'm sure, very, very deep. Mm-hmm. You know, dear to God's heart, but gave her insight, gave Hannah insight, like He's given you insight, which your insights special.

Spectacular. But anyway, I'll read this because to me, it's an amazing thing that God gave her. Like, here's this woman way before David, or you know, Samuel would be the one that anointed David, right? The result of Hannah's prayer.

So, anyway, it says, The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces. And Out of heaven shall be thunder upon them, and the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth, and he shall give strength unto his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.

So when he uses the word king and horn and anointed, you see this is one of the first pictures of Christ, and it's because Christ was the priest-king.

So he's got the. Anointed, and then that idea of the horn is this little bit of light that expands to this amazing amount of light. Hmm. That's why they sometimes picture Moses with horns because he had this little bit of light that was going to be a tremendous amount of light.

So here is Hannah, right? This is Hannah. This is, you know, and she is the one who's announcing this amazing. unbelievable thing to the world here in 2 Samuel. Yeah.

And it was based on the trial. And the passion that God had given her. And when you listen to Faith speak, you can't help but see that, like, ma'am, this was a mom. This was a mom on her knees. This was a mom that God had.

Clearly, a special relationship. I really, really loved. Um When he said to you in the moment before, you know, right after your son told you, and you knew he probably was dead. Just ask me for what you want. Just ask me for what you want, right?

It's precious. It was. Perfect. Mm, sorry. Yeah.

Uh so Right now, as this is making you emotional, I can't help but wonder what. What's going through your mind and your heart right now? What what memories and thoughts? Just that the Bible is truth. It's just all truth.

Mm. And Outside of living it There was faith and trust. I knew he loved me, you know? You can have a long distance relationship with someone you've never met. They can write love letters.

You can talk on the phone. But when they show up and they hug you and they don't let go.. Just It just stamps it. It's just... Has become so real.

Not that I still don't struggle. I go back to waking up on a Wednesday and being faith, you know, and having and going to the Lord and saying. I'll tell you the scary thing is All I want to do is grow closer to the Lord. And when I look back, the times that I have were the hardest.

So There's the praying for hard times that doesn't make sense in this world. But I even in the moment I could see if you take Trevor You drew me closer in this, and you have Trevor.

So, two things I realized: the only thing that matters in this world is that we're drawing closer to the Lord because on our last day when we see Him. It won't change the hug I get. It won't change the reception and my salvation. But it will be something my deep desire. Will be to go back and go, oh my gosh.

You know, I don't think I will have those earthly thoughts in heaven, but that's how I feel now: knowing that. When I meet Jesus, I will have. I want to feel like I at least attempted to draw as close to him as I possibly could because it helps us, you know, in this life. And it helps others. Yeah.

And which leads to the second thing, which is salvation. Knowing that my son was with the Lord. Um Clearly, would have made this. Maybe barely livable, but livable. And so that became.

The only mission. And and and the importance of that um really became clear.

So b prior to Trevor's accident, did Trevor also have a relationship with the Lord? He did. He did. He was our wild our wild one, which I also learned throughout that year how the Lord uses a lot of wild ones because they're usually willing to go and do the crazy things once you get their buy-in. my parents my are wonderful um leaders and my mother-in-law was and was a beautiful example of Christ.

And so my children grew up in the church, but I could tell my the that God was tugging on Trevor's heart and really trying to pull him out of friend groups and and put him on different paths. And He was struggling with that. He was accepting it, but the discipline In that was hard for him, and the night before his friend shared with me that he had changed his Instagram to. My paths Will be harder because I believe my calling is higher. And that was the night before.

So the Lord was doing things in Trevor's life, preparing him for this. two. And we found one verse in Trevor's phone, oh. I'm not, I'm enough to get on my phone, and I'm on my phone to find it. But it was written third person.

And it was in his notes. And it was literally like he was speaking to my husband and I, and it was from Romans, and it was just about, I'm going to forget it, it's even on my ring. Is that 818? Um But it gave me such peace to see that scripture in his phone. And again, I think he was probably writing the note as the youth.

Pastor was speaking, so it came out. in third person. But what a beautiful. What a beautiful thing to have Trevor talking to us through his Bible verse on his phone. If it was this one, which is Romans 8:18, it says for I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Hmm. That is the one. Yes. It's a pretty powerful verse to find on your son's. Must have kept going because it was, yeah, it says, oh, for what you guys are suffering right now will not compare to the glory is to come.

And so, yeah, it was written and it said, you guys, and it was really crazy.

So.

Now, you know, obviously we have a totally new normal. Can you still see evidence of Trevor's relationship with God now in some ways? Yeah. So, the one thing, again, the Lord laid on our heart, I take credit for nothing. I'm a.

Um Slightly spoiled, you know, hyper only child who likes to be in control and, and I. It's just none of this is me. It's all God. In me. Hours ahead with that.

Oh, it was laid on my heart to pray. I kept praying for his physical recovery and. And I just thought. Shoot. Spiritual recovery is way more important.

So, I wanted the Lord to heal his heart first. I did not want bitterness, anger, depression. You know, I just wanted to rebuke all of those things over Trevor. I would rather have him feel. physically severely handicapped.

And mentally and spiritually sound, clearly knowing, you know, what's. What um lies at the end of This short time in this world.

So we really prayed for that. We were warned many times. Trevor most likely will not know who you are. He has all of his memories, which is beautiful. Anger, it's just.

They say it's not even a choice. It's just the way the brain heals. There's usually a lot of anger, and even smaller children have had to be put in safe rooms, you know, so they don't hurt themselves. It's just a part of the way the brain heals. We have not seen.

any anger, any outburst. any depression. We've had two days that were tearful. Um And prayed right through them. I've struggled more than Trevor has.

And the way Trevor's healing. His brain, I can see that it's like he's saving this little part for last, so Trevor can still have this childlike. Quality which allows him to be joyful. And again, I've had the fruits of the Spirit. on the wall and We don't move through anything unless You know, is it going to make us more angry?

Then we're not going to do it. Is it going to make us less patient? We're not going to do that. Like, we only do things where we can. You use those and grow in that.

And he's just been game. He's lifted me up. He's. Held me up like, mom, but God's got this. Why are you worried?

And it's blowing my mind. Blowing my mind.

So is he able to communicate? Yeah. Okay. Forever, yeah, to walk, talk, eat. Um Dare I say If something happened to me tomorrow, could he survive on his own.

Pretty dang close. Pretty dang close. He would need some Uber drivers. And he probably wouldn't have the best diet. But yeah, the struggles with Trevor.

are just A lot of orthopedic injuries to his hands, and then you can tell some balance coordination.

So, the things we're asking for now, we've got the big ones. As far as we wanted walking, talking, being able to function independently in the bathroom with showering and all that. Those were major. I remember when the first time we saw Trevor smile, I thought, Okay. I could live with this if we've I have a smiling Trevor, you know, good enough, but Trevor's first.

Uh, words were singing, How Great Is Our God. Um it was Yeah, making a sandwich, and there he goes. And yeah, and just. His first, like, really?

So, you're making at this point in time again. How long has Trevor been home? Trevor's been home since just. No, no, I mean, when all of a sudden he starts breaking into song here. Yeah.

Well, this was right before we left the hospital. With the um and the doctor, I said, He's singing. And this physician comes in and I show him singing and the physician went, and walked right out.

So, I don't know what that did to him. I was like, you're going to tell him, good job. What's going on? But I. But that's God's shown me that too.

Uh we had We had fundraised, we had we we had everything we needed to go to the best hospitals. I wanted to go to um Shepherd Place in Atlanta. Then I wanted to go to Shirley Ryan in Chicago. And in the beginning, when these doors all closed, Again, makes no sense why they did. We had all the time in the world.

He was our baby. I wasn't working. We can go anywhere. We wound up in our own hometown at this little podunk rehab, and I'm going the worst brain injury they've ever seen. And we're in.

Pew all up Washington? Like, what? But in the beginning, I prayed, Lord, don't send us, you're going to heal Trevor. Where do we need to go? Who needs you?

Who needs this story? Who needs Trevor's smile? And then you get in the situation where you're just advocating and everything's scrappy, and you're like, Why are we here? What did you do? You know, classic, terrible idea.

Looking back now, it it's all a blessing.

So just again, dang it, faith. You you can trust him. Tell myself that every day. Have you have you had people come to you and tell you that either it's increased their faith or maybe even brought salvation to them to witness Trevor's story? Yes.

And that's overwhelming. Um I I don't know how to take that yet. That's actually still where I'm at. Um 'Cause it's like I haven't done anything. I'm I I yeah.

I I just me and Anything I did that was right was the Lord. And maybe. Ev I even have a hard time taking, um, Credit for allowing the Lord to do that because, like I said, it started out where I had no choice. Right. You know what, Faith?

He he made you. Yes, he did.

Okay. Yes, he did.

And so he gets that credit because, believe me, you were named properly. And a couple of times I've heard you, oh, well, that's just faith.

Well, yeah. You give him the credit, but he made something pretty amazing. He's great. And as you reflect him. The power of that, it's absolutely phenomenal.

You do that in humility, and I appreciate that. But I I don't I I don't want anybody to miss that God did something really amazing. Clearly, He did something amazing uh with Trevor as well. But you know, the apple doesn't far fall from apparently you and your husband. And It's really, it's a gift, especially, you know, how amazing timing, and I don't find it.

An accident all, I could tell you about 10 different stories like yours where somebody posted something somewhere. And all of a sudden, God completely blew it up when it wasn't supposed to be anything like it was. When God decides that something's going to get out, and so when I really think about what's going on here, is you would have never known about it, had she not made this video for her husband that she didn't know was going to go viral, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Well, and even Faith, I mean, when I reached out to you, because you have so many followers, I'm like, she's never going to see this, she's never going to see this invite. And, you know, and so when you wrote back, I was like, wow, I can't believe we get to share your story because really, there's such, there's such a joy in your page. And so here you show, you show so openly what you guys went through at the time. I mean, you even show the accident on your show, or on your show, on your channel. We had that on film, right?

We have everything recorded. Yeah, which is, which is crazy, but the fact that you share all of those things, and yet there's this, like, there's this. Theme of joy throughout all of it. And it's like that, that is the Lord alone. And so it's not, you know, I can tell you, as someone sitting on this side of the camera of you, it doesn't come across at all.

Like you're saying, look how great I am, look how well I handled this. It's completely. Look what the Lord did in all of this. That, like, what a what a cool thing that the Lord. took that year.

for you to prepare you. You know, we've talked before about how important it is to be prepared. For trials, because when you're in them in the moment, like that's not the time to prepare. You know, you're frazzled, you're relying on whatever the Lord has already put in your heart, whatever you already know to be true of Him, whatever scripture you already know. And so, what a sweet gift of love, actually, that the Lord took you from that job that you thought was going to be your pinnacle and totally poured into you.

during that year and equipped you for what he knew was gonna lie ahead. Mm-hmm. Yeah. What a gift indeed. And what could have seemed, and what he spoke into me, I could have been required to have so much more faith.

Truly. He could have said once, I'm going to take care of Trevor. You got to trust me. And then went dark, and that shouldn't have been enough, you know. And but he didn't.

It was like, okay, I'll tell you again and again. And there was one day where every hour on the hour, I mean, it would just be something, and it was like, okay, okay, I'm sorry. And he just, the only time I said, Gosh, am I Thomas? Like, do you need to send an angel to actually look me dead in the eye and say, Trevor's going to be healed? Calm down.

I just, I want to just rest in this. And, um, It's just those Holy Spirit conversations.

So it's like, no, okay, he's not going to do that. Fine. You're right, because I probably still would be asking for more. Got it. You don't have to do that.

Well, I kid you, not an hour later, a chaplain who I never met, who had been called from another hospital and told that we were there. Came down and shared her testimony of how an angel appeared to her husband and comforted him during her severe injury. No one knew who this doctor was. And they all now know or believe it to be an angel. And when she left, I just went.

The Lord's going So I could. But I'm not, I'm not gonna do that. But that's why you know I could I've done that in the past. Wow.

Come on. It's just Can't make this stuff up.

So, yeah, the joy trying to get out of the world and trying to think that the joy is in the healing, the joy is in. Trevor getting to where he needs to be is just all baloney. It's like the joy is in the fact that God is right next to us the entire time, every second of every day, and we just have to Uh talk to him, ask him You know, have a relationship. And I remember once going, Man, when Trevor was more sick, I was literally clinging to his robe. He was just so close to me, and I prayed and begged, God, can you just be that close again?

You know? And and the answer to me was just Don't let go of the robe. Like, I haven't moved anywhere. Yeah, you know, I love the end of the 16th Psalm, just speaks to what. Actually, I've seen ever since I've seen you on camera.

I wish I could meet you, but I've seen it. And you might know that the end of the 16th Psalm, it says, I place the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand I will not slip. And therefore my heart's glad, and my glory rejoices, and my flesh rests in obscure hope. You'll not allow your holy one to see decay, nor allow us to be in hell.

It says, in your presence. It's fullness of joy. At your right hand are pleasures forevermore. That's the end of the 16th Psalm. And when you think about all that, you know, when you hear the whole story, you're just like, there it is.

You know, like, she's placed him there, and there it is, right? Her glory's rejoicing. You know, it's kind of cool because when you think about your glory rejoices, what does that mean exactly?

Well, you have a halo. And if you don't see it, you just can't, you don't have eyes to see, right? And so her glory, it's. It's rejoicing. Can you see it?

It's all over that. And so you're just like, oh, okay. And so it's like you're living the end of the 16th Psalm. One of the things that I think is neat too in hearing your testimony, my little girl just asked me, she's 10. She asked me a day or two ago, totally random, she was like, Mom, is it disrespectful for us to talk to God and pray like we would just like a friend?

Is that disrespectful? Like, do we need to say, like, dear Jesus, please help me? And I was like, No, like that's exactly how he wants us to come to him. And, you know, not in a flippant manner where it's like, Jesus is my homeboy. Like, that's not, that, that is disrespectful.

We talked about that. But, um, but as. I said, absolutely, that's how he wants you to come to him and like anything and everything. And she was like, is it okay? Like, Mom, can I pray?

Like, Jesus, please help me know the number of candies that are in there so I win the prize. And I'm like, well, he wants to hear everything. You know, there's nothing, but I just thought there's such a sweetness in hearing. How a child thinks about talking to the Lord. But I hear that when I hear you talk, and that is what a relationship with the Lord looks like.

Like, He's not distant from us, He's not far removed. We can talk to Him like a friend, He is our friend. And I hear that in the way that you reiterate your prayer that you had, your prayers that you had over and over again. Because faith is, to me, felt like in the moment not needing anything. Faith felt like totally trusting him.

His will, submitting to that will, and so the to ask seems like you're lacking in faith or to fear death. Felt like, well, wait, if I truly believe your word, why do I fear this for my son? This is glory for my son. This is selfish. But you know, No, we hate death.

Death is awful. That's why we have eternal life. That's why Jesus offers no death. Death isn't good. And when we get to heaven, it will be no more.

So, I think. And again, for the Lord to In that moment of me going, ooh, how can I pray if it's in your will? Or I'm just only going to pray, give me peace, you know, which works, telling you when you pray for things. For the fruits of the Spirit. Yes, that definitely works.

But for him to be so kind as to say, just ask, what do you want? Like, I'm your father. Yeah. And there was a time where I prayed. You do find yourself starting to pray holy and these intercessional prayers.

And I learned all about prayer. And I'm in the chapel, and I said, whatever you do. What? Let this be for you. Let me accept it.

Let me love you more because of it. Even if you need to take Trevor, like I'm okay with that, I'm at peace with that. And I didn't even make it to the elevator, and I'm running back to the chapel. I don't know why I needed to be in a chapel. And I'm like, I changed my mind.

I didn't mean it. I said that because it looked really good on paper. It felt like the right thing to say. I don't mean that. Help me mean it.

Help me, you know, if that's what's going to happen. Yeah. But, but I don't, I'm not there yet.

Sorry, I feel like I lied to him, but it's like he knows. He knows. But that's the real, you know, and that's the beauty of it. He couldn't be more right. I mean, it is real.

And he loves that. I mean.

Well, I think it's such a testimony of how close your relationship had come with the Lord during that year, which you said that. You said it wasn't like I was, you know, phoning a long-distance friend saying, hey, such and such has happened. It was like, he's right there. He's your intimate friend. He's been your best friend.

But I have had those conversations with God, with Jesus, where I told him something glibly. Because I knew it was the right thing to say. And there's this look he gives you, and there's no condemnation in it. And there's no sarcasm. I don't know how he gets away with it, but he can give you this look.

And you know, it's not like you saw his face and he looked at you, but you just have this sense of like, really? Like It's I mean so many. Instagram stories, I would read a verse and I would love it.

So I'm going to share it with the world. But as I'm typing it, I'm going, I'm not there yet. I don't mean that. And and I I want what I s I want to mean what I say and what I put out there. I want it to really represent what I was feeling in that moment.

And looking back, I'm going. Whoa, that was some faith.

So, I mean, clearly, that was the Lord. And And I had been told prior to this, we had a loved one pass. Their family explained to me Because there's always this curiosity. How do you get through it? The reason for your podcast, it's true.

We need an understanding, and I needed to. Them to share that with me. And they had told me that the Lord strengthens you differently. I don't need that strength today. Yeah.

But I did then. And so to try to imagine: if you're sitting at home going, Oh my gosh, like, what would I ever do if I lost my son? You truly don't know what you would do. You're not who you will be. In that moment, God transformed me into an entirely different person on certain days, you know, as far as my.

My faith and my strength. It was not of me.

So it's kind of a waste of time to try to walk through those moments. Yeah. Because, yeah. I would not have imagined it.

Well, and that's that's what often produces anxiety. And that's right, when we're fearing things that haven't happened. And we have all of these scenarios in our mind. We're very good at doing this, like all of these scenarios of What could happen? And so we're panicking over all ten of those when.

Even just Like you're only getting one of those, you know, if you're getting even one of those. But so often we. We go ahead of the Lord instead of waiting on Him and knowing that His mercies are new every morning. They're new for whatever you're going to face that morning, not prior. They're not there.

You know, I think it was Elizabeth Elliott that talks about don't face tomorrow's problems with today's grace because you don't have different And tomorrow's problems, a lot of them were handled with today's obedience. I love that.

So try. To just stay in the moment, is what do I need to do today? What do I have to be grateful for today? And And that Again, can't take credit for that because there's nothing like wanting to be obedient when you're asking for the biggest miracle you could possibly imagine. Yeah.

So, yeah, it's like forgive the other driver. Like, Absolutely. The Lord says he's not going to hear my prayers. Like, you just start, I have to forgive everybody. You're forgiven.

You're forgiven. I don't care. I ask big things of a big God. And so I'm going to do whatever he says. And so that just.

organically came out of that. We had found out the other driver was on a lot of prescription medications. And I do believe, I know she's being charged through the state, but the beauty in that is we heard she started praying right away after the accident. And I thought, oh. What a gift.

Anyone that prays for Trumper is a best friend of mine. Because I know dang well that every single one of those prayers is what's moved. This child forward, period. Yeah. Period.

Mm-hmm. And that's the great thing that's come out of social media that I didn't anticipate. And my name's Faith. I'm a. I mean, I'm adopted.

This whole thing goes back, just goes back to the day I was born. I mean, the family that raised me. Just my mother. I was sick as a child and how she showed up in that. Like when Trevor was hurt, it was just, oh, I know what to do.

Do what my mom did. And so even her obedience just, ah. I don't know. Th the the way the the Lord orchestrates this world is mind-boggling and I keep hearing in the back of my head that I wanna share I'm gonna go back. to our friends who lost their child in this I had a deep conversation with her and said, I feel Guilty or odd asking you for prayer for healing for my son when you're like 30 days into mourning the loss of your child of the same age.

And I don't know what that means. I don't. Yeah. I don't know, like my testimony, yes, God is a healer and he can't heal, but I I was very nervous to claim any of that. I have all of these children who don't know the Lord, a lot of my son's friends.

And for me to stand there and say, God is going to heal Trevor, you know, stamp, like, Ooh, do I know that for certain? You know, I mean, no. He's telling me that. I believe that I'm going to live in that. He can.

But God's going to do what God's going to do because it's. It's what It's his way, and his way is better, his way is higher, and we're going to accept it, and we're going to love him, and we're going to turn this in. To the most any beauty we can find to come out of this is what we're gonna do. How did you and your friend walk side by side in that? Gosh, 'cause she's wonderful and she said to me, Faith, I want your son healed like deeply and I love your family and that everyone's story is different.

And what really helped me through that was her sharing that God showed up totally different for her. She said the same thing. He showed up. He was right there. He was hugging her.

But it was in her grief. And it was in the last conversation she had with her daughter. She felt like Why do I feel like I'm not going to talk to her ever again? Why why do I feel like something bad's going to happen. And so she prayed.

And at the end of the prayer, she said, I kind of felt. Worse as far as fearing the outcome, because it was almost like the Lord said, Yeah, it's not going to be great, but I'm going to be here with you. And it's, and we're, we're. we're gonna do something beautiful out of this and you you always have me. And so that allowed me to live in the peace he was giving me, knowing that he wasn't deceiving me.

You know, I mean, the devil doesn't offer peace. Yeah. So I just took the gift and said, okay, I'm going to trust you, whatever that looks like. Have you found comfort? In leaning into your friend's grief as well, in walking alongside that with her.

Who knows? A little bit. A little bit. I don't know, but I I guess I'm comforted because I know No, I'm sad. Yeah.

I'm sad for her. I mean, grief is unbearable. I mean, and the Lord makes it. bearable of course and I know That I would love the Lord and be just as passionate. I truly know that if Trevor did not survive.

My love for the Lord and my passion, and these stories would be just as intense, maybe even more so. But But I, to care for these poor mamas and dads and families who have to carry that weight of grief through this whole entire lifetime, you know, I'm going, oh man, couldn't I be 80? That it would just be a little shorter, yeah. Or couldn't I be ill? Could I not have a terminal illness?

I mean, you start just. Yeah. So no, I I still um Because I prayed every night to avoid that grief, and now I'm sitting and hugging someone who's living in it. Yeah. That's really tough.

I'm sure that will come. Yeah, I guess more what I was meaning to say is just how. How the Lord With you thinking, even in that moment on the way to the hospital, like you thought that your son was gone. And so there's a there's a unique There's a unique knitting of the hearts between friends when he or she did lose her child, but you thought that you were going to lose your child too. And so there is.

There's a unique way that you can comfort one another because, in a sense, you have walked a similar path. Even if yours did not end up fully where hers did, you walked that path even just for that drive. And so I would imagine that your heart can comfort hers in a unique way. Yes. Yeah, we are a comfort for each other.

We, um, Yeah, that is true. I I just always felt a little guilt is not the right word. I don't want to carry that feeling, but um I wish her story had been different, but I know that when I see the way the Lord weaves everything together. That I'll be grateful even for what seems like just an atrocious situation on earth. I just know none of the, you don't, you're not going to go to heaven and talk to any of the Lord's disciples and say, oh man.

Weren't you bummed out? You had to go through all that suffering and all of that hardship for Jesus. They'd say, rubbish, bring it on. It was an honor. It was an honor.

Wow.

I just think that's such an incredible an incredible perspective. And that's the perspective that you present in all of your all of your social media things. I think that's why you've been such an encouragement to those people. And those that are listening or watching right now that don't know where they can find you, where can they find your story and continue seeing Trevor's healing and his journey. Oh gosh.

So I'm on social media. I am on Instagram. I. Faith bug underscore Jackson.

Okay. I think. Clearly, we weren't. This is the Heel Trev page. It's just my normal old Instagram where he would post, you know, the happy birthday thing.

So, yeah. Yeah. F-A-I-T-H-B-U-G underscore Jackson is where we're posting everything. Yeah, for now. And and I'm I just I did tell the Lord whether Whether he lives or whether you take him, I will never stop talking about how you showed up because I just couldn't have fathomed it.

Even two weeks before the accident, when I was as close to the Lord as I ever could have imagined being. Um, it blew my mind. It blew my mind how So um again, there's nothing I needed to do. He just Like a best friend showed up right there. What do you need?

What can I do? I've got you. What a gift. Well, Faith, yeah. I mean, your testimony has been a gift.

And just, I mean, you're like a. Little firecracker of sunshine, right?

So what? Yes, you do, which is great. It's great. I mean, Thanks.

So much, so much passion for the Lord and so much trust in Him. And we really appreciate you coming on and sharing your story and Trevor's story, which is ultimately the Lord's story.

So, thank you so much, Faith, for joining us today on Hope in the Morning. That was awesome. Absolutely an honor. Yeah, and I would definitely, definitely recommend those that are watching and listening right now to go follow your account because it's more of this. It's more of just encouraging people with what the Lord has done and who the Lord is.

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