The Hand of God

God knows exactly what I need when I need it.

Throughout my life, I have trusted in God, and he has always provided -- many times in ways I never expected. The Bible says, “The steps of a righteous man are ordered of God.”

I have seen this play out in my life. From small details to big decisions, such as where to live, God has gone ahead to prepare a path for me.

When I started college, I didn’t know if I’d be able to live on my own in the dorms. I needed certain accommodations because of my disability -- things you don’t normally find in college dormitories. I needed hand rails in the bathroom among other things.

When I went to look at the campus, it was as if God had gone ahead to get things ready for me. The first room they showed me had exactly what I needed, including an automatic outside door right next to the room. There was even a roll-in shower in the bathroom.

I knew God had his hand in that and had orchestrated that move to WTSU in Canyon.

After college, I continued to see God’s hand at work in my life guiding my every step. Six weeks after I graduated, I got a job in Amarillo, and once again God provided me with a place to live.

At the time, I didn’t drive so I needed a place close to downtown so I could ride my three-wheel bike to work.

An old apartment building in a transitional housing complex had a handicap-accessible unit six blocks from the newspaper office where I would be working. To find an apartment like this in the downtown area was nothing less than a miracle.

The complex was designed to provide temporary housing for people with disabilities and others trying to live on their own for the first time. It was really just what I needed. I lived there nearly two years until I got my driver’s license and could move out to a regular apartment.

Even when I moved, I felt God leading me every step of the way.

When my mobility started becoming more limited and I started using a scooter more, I needed more space, especially in the bathroom, to get around.

God, yet again, had prepared the perfect place for me. I was driving around one day and I saw a new apartment complex in northeast Amarillo. I knew the minute I saw it that it was the place I needed. It was completely accessible for a scooter and had an enormous bathroom.

It allowed me to maintain my independence -- with some help from my family.

That place has served me well for nearly nine years, and I loved it there. But now God is preparing me for the next chapter in my life.

I am needing more assistance now because I am weaker and really unable to walk at all. I prayed if God wanted me to stay in Amarillo that he would open the door for me to stay here. But if it is his will that I move to Pampa, where I can be near my family, I asked him to provide a place there.

I checked several assisted-living centers here in Amarillo, and every door was closed to me with long waiting lists. So I looked in Pampa, and everything is falling in place for me to move there in about a month from now.

I will have my own apartment in Pampa, but I will be near my family where I can get help when I need it. I know God’s hand is in this move. He has never let me down, and I know he will see me through.