Have you read New York Times bestseller Don Piper’s amazing story 90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Life and Death? Well, I am thrilled to introduce to you his wife Eva Piper’s new book A Walk Through the Dark. Read how her church community became the hands and feet of Jesus to her and her family during the most intense time in their lives. And be sure to visit her website EvaPiper.com to reserve your copy today!
Every young girl dreams of being asked to their first dance. Our daughter, Nicole, was no exception. When a young man from her junior high school asked if he could take her to the school Valentine’s Day Dance she was thrilled. The plan was to go with several of their friends from school and church. One of the parents would drive them to the school and another would pick them up when the dance was over. I could hear the excitement in her voice when she called to tell me all about it and ask if it was okay to go. I knew the young man along with the other young people, so I gave my consent. As I hung up the phone my mind drifted back to my first dance and how special it had felt to be all dressed up. That’s when I felt the bottom drop out of my joy.
Nicole’s dad as still in the hospital recovering from a horrific accident where he had been hit head-on by an 18 wheeler just weeks before. I had spent the past few weeks there in the hospital with him. Don had finally been moved from the ICU but his status remained serious. I felt I needed to be there in case something happened. Taking the time to go on a shopping trip was not possible. How was I going to help Nicole get ready for the dance and still stay close to Don? Nicole never complained or asked for a new outfit but I wanted her to have one. Like any mother I wanted my little girl to have special memories of her first dance, new dress and all. I was torn between my roles of wife and mother. I wanted to be there for Nicole but I had to be there for Don.
A few days later the phone rang in Don’s hospital room. I picked it up and said hello. On the other end was our pastor’s secretary. It was not unusual to have the church calling to check on Don’s progress so I prepared to answer all the normal questions. The conversation took a very different turn. One of the other secretaries had a daughter who was a close friend of Nicole. Apparently in talking the topic of the Valentine’s Dance had come up. I listened as this wonderful, sensitive, Christian woman volunteered to take Nicole to the mall to shop for a new dress. She knew I was spending all my time with Don and wanted to help. Once again our church family was reaching out to us by seeing our needs and reacting to them. I thanked her and hung up the phone knowing God had once again provided for a need that to some would seem frivolous. But to my mother’s heart it was significant.
The next day Nicole was picked up at school and driven to the mall. Together this kind friend helped her pick out the perfect dress. She then insisted no outfit is complete without new shoes and jewelry so those were added. On the day of the dance Nicole was treated to having her hair done. She says she felt like a princess and when I look at the pictures from that night I have to agree. It was a fairytale come true complete with a fairy godmother.
When asked what she remembers most about the time of her dad’s accident and recovery, this story is at the top of Nicole’s list. Our friend not only helped Nicole have a wonderful evening, she reached out to a young mother who was struggling. She stepped in to fill a gap when I wasn’t able.
As I write in my book A Walk Through the Dark :
That’s the way the Bible wants us to behave. Paul referred to the church as a human body on several occasions. He said that each member is important, and if one part hurts, the whole body suffers.
For more than a year, I saw the constant flow of the spiritual body of Jesus Christ trying to take away our pain.
Including a kind woman who saw a need and took a young girl shopping.
About Eva Piper:
Eva Piper is a speaker and author with a unique insight into the trials of heartache and the triumph of overcoming. The wife of best-selling author Don Piper, Eva was the glue that held her broken husband and her family together. Don’s story, recounted in the New York Times bestseller, 90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Life and Death, is Eva’s story too. A teacher of 34 years, she and Don now live in Pasadena, Texas. Visit http://evapiper.com/ to reserve your copy today!
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