A Kick in the Face

When I was a little girl around the age of four I walked up behind our old Jersey cow who had just had a calf. I guess I thought she needed to be milked. She didn’t agree. She immediately kick me in the face. To this day I can still see the hoof coming at me. When I came out of  the coma or unconsciousness I was in my mama’s arms. She was sitting on our old couch in the living room. She couldn’t take me to the doctor or hospital because we lived at the dead end road as far back in the woods as you could go. There was absolutely no way she could have gotten me any help. She couldn’t drive but that wouldn’t of been an option anyways because my Daddy had taken the car on one of his little forays but that is another story. As a mother I can know exactly what was going on in her mind and heart. She was crying out for me. Begging, praying, beseeching, hoping, yet fearing the worse. Then God answered her prayers, I woke up. I can only remember being in her arms and the light coming in the window of the old shack of a house we called home. I have no memory of the pain nor did I ever see my face. I still carry the scars on my chin and tongue where the hoof had almost cut it in half. For most of my life this was the reason I had to live with protruding teeth. Bucky beaver and Rebecca rabbit were the most popular of the taunts. I survived the kick from the cow with no memory of the pain, yet, I remember the cruelty of the people and their barb-wire tongues which cut my heart and self-esteem to pieces. Just like having no car to get help for me there wasn’t any way to ease the hurt caused by others.

Then healing came when I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior.  I had committed so many sins in my life that I didn’t deserve His forgiveness let alone His dieing for me. He kept on telling me just how much He loved me until finally I listened with my heart and not my head. I had always known there was someone with me, looking out for me, helping me. I especially knew this when I was in places I should not have been and doing things I should not have been doing. This is called conviction. God did not want me in these places and was warning me to get out! Sometimes I would obey but other times I would ignore Him and suffer the consequences of my choices. (that’s another story, also.)  He has plans for me for my good and if I had of listened sooner I could have avoided a lot of heartache and strife and regret. The Holy Spirit was watching out for me just like when the cow kicked me. When I received His forgiveness I let go of my unforgiveness towards the cruel people who had hurt me because of my teeth or other reasons to numerous to mention. Unforgiveness is the heaviest burden anyone can carry and sometimes when the hurt goes to deep we have to just turn it over to God for Him to handle. The Holy Spirit can then come in an heal the wounded spirit.  So when you get kicked in the face by life, look to Him. He is the only One Who stretched out His arms and died for us. He is Truth! The song that the choir was singing when I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior was ‘Just as I Am” and that is how I came! I love you Lord and I say “Thank You!” from a little girl’s grateful heart.