A “Good” Tragedy

By Mike Harley

FROM THE ARCHIVES PART 10: WINTER 2007

In 1992, I was a husband, the father of two young girls and a business owner.  As a Christian man, I took my responsibility to be a provider for my family very seriously.  I also was very involved in my church.  Though these things were good, my life was out of balance.  My marriage was suffering and I wasn’t spending enough time with my two young girls because I was so busy making a living and doing church stuff.  Then on October 9, 1992, my life took a radical turn.

We had come home from the grocery store and found a man lurking between my work vans.  When I went to see what was going on, leaving my wife and two girls in the family car, I was confronted by a man who stabbed me in the back and ran away.

As I lay on the ground, I knew I was seriously injured because I couldn’t move my legs.  I called out to my wife and told her to call the police and my pastor.  The police were already there searching for my assailant, because he had just committed a crime in my neighborhood.  He was apprehended the next morning, but my life was changed forever because I was paralyzed and have been in a wheelchair ever since.  Believe it or not, all these years later, I’m actually grateful for what happened.  I feel like God literally sat me down because my priorities were out of order.

As a result of being forced out of work and facing my problem together as a family, my marriage was healed and God gave me a whole new perspective on what’s really important in life.  Even if I were able to work full time again, I wouldn’t let it consume me like it did before, because I cherish so much what’s happened between me and my wife Micki and my two girls Casey and Katie.

In addition to how God used this to heal my family, He has also enabled me to help others who have become disabled or experienced trauma like I have.  It has been my privilege to help with disaster relief projects through my church and Samaritan’s Purse and to see how God has used what has happened to me to help inspire others.

God has enabled me to forgive the man who did this to me because of the way He has forgiven me.  Though I struggle sometimes with my attitude when bouts of pain flare up, underneath it all I’m still grateful, because I know that God has worked this terrible thing for good in my life.  Romans 8:28 says “…all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”  I believe that verse with all my heart because of what He’s done in my life.