I am Determined Philippians 4:13 by Susan L.

  "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." NKJ
  "For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." JCB

  I've been part of a miracle. Every time I think of this event, I am in awe of what the Lord can help us achieve. I might have written about this before but it's one of my life's most unforgettable events. It's so vivid, I can still feel the cool, misty rain falling that day: a Mother's Day Sunday.
  I am also going to offer a warning. The contents of this post might be too graphic for some people. Reader discretion is advised.

  My ex, who wasn't a large man, and a slight, young woman had enough strength to raise a rolled over, two-and-a-half ton tractor. It had pinned her father face down underneath the massive rear tire when it flipped. The rain had turned the grass into a treacherous, slippery surface.
  We had very little time to get him free. We couldn't wait for the emergency services who she called after calling us for help. We couldn't wait for my older son to arrive with our tractor. Time was of the essence. We needed a miracle
  We got one.
  My part was to slide him out from underneath once the tractor was lifted high enough. He was a tall, well built man yet he weighed nothing as I gently slid him free, mindful of his back and neck, careful to keep him in relatively the same position to prevent further damage. I remember being surprised at how light he felt; how strong I felt. He could have been a small child in my grasp.
  His face was purple-black from a lack of oxygen but he was conscious and his colour improved as he was able to finally get some air in his lungs.
  We covered him with a blanket and I kept talking to him until the ambulance and professional paramedics arrived to take over. It had taken at least twenty minutes but may have been longer because the local, rural fire department was only staffed by volunteers. (God bless them!) Either way, it would have been too late had we done nothing.
  His hoarsely whispered pleas to get the tractor off broke my heart. I assumed broken ribs stopped him from feeling much relief. All that could be done right then was wait, hold his hand and keep reassuring him he was free.
  It's an experience I'll never forget even though it was probably twenty years ago. Sometimes his blackened face haunts me in the wee hours despite going to see him in hospital the next day where he was much improved. I am haunted by watching him finally lose consciousness after the firefighters placed him on a backboard and gently rolled him over. Up until then, he'd been awake. Up until then, I had no idea how battered his body was.
  Our neighbour survived. His neck and back were fine although there were many other bones broken and internal organs crushed. They were organs he could live without. They were bones easily healed.
  He was a long time recovering. Yet the fact he lived is a miracle all its own because 99.5% percent of the time a tractor roll over is fatal.
  I don't know how this ties into today's affirmation. I suppose the entire sequence of events, the choices all of us made, were an exercise of determination to save a life. Yet without God intervening, it could have ended far differently.
  The best part of all is God intervened even though none of us followed His Son.