Stefanie Reid is a track and field athlete and silver medalist in Great Britain. At 15 she was in a boating accident which nearly took her life. She lost her leg and with it, her dreams of being a professional athlete. That is, until she met Jesus.
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Stefanie was always an active child. When she was 12 she was introduced to Rugby and she immediately fell in love with the sport. “It was my life’s dream to play internationally,” she said of her Rugby goals. But that would not be the case for her.
When she was 15 she went tubing with some friends. Stefanie fell off the tube with no one noticing and as the boat changed coarse, the driver couldn’t see her in the water. She tried to drive away from the oncoming boat but her lifejacket hindered her escape. The boat came at her and caught her leg in the propeller. At the sight of the blood and the terrified look on her friends’ faces, Stefanie knew she might die. She remembers thinking that if she died, she knew she wasn’t going to heaven.
A Dream Shattered
The doctors did everything just to save Stefanie’s leg but there was just too much damage. They had no choice but to amputate.
As an athlete she was devastated. For the first time in her life she prayed a true and honest prayer right there in the hospital room. She suddenly felt God’s loving peace fill the room.
“That was my starting point.”
Stefanie started walking with her prosthetic… then started running. The athlete inside her came alive again.
“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)
Choosing God over Anger
Since then, she chose to trust God with all the doubts and frustrations she felt. And despite losing her right leg and the future she imagined, Stefanie let God give her a new dream. Stefanie began competing in track and field at the highest level.
“In so many ways God gave me back my dream, but just on this way bigger scale than I ever imagined.”
“I’ve learned to trust God. I know that He is good…. I know that God can work miracles in any situation.”
Today, Stefanie is a Paralympic athlete competing for Great Britain, and placed silver in the long jump at the London 2012 Paralymics.
Watch Stefanie’s harrowing story here!
Source: yesHEis UK