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a minute and looked down to gather my thoughts. It was then that I saw my left foot, and suddenly God gave me the words to speak. So what does my left foot have to do with anything? Let me explain. I grew up in West Virginia and learned to water-ski on the Ohio River at the age of five. By the time I was twenty, I was skiing professionally on the Coors Light Water Ski Tour and appearing regularly on ESPN. I’ve had a great career that included three world records, over thirty professional victories, sixty podium finishes, and I’ve been inducted into the USA Water Ski Hall of Fame. I also played college basketball at Georgia Tech. I was pretty much born to be an athlete. In 1998, I was having my best season ever, leading the World Cup series with one event to go. Prior to the tour finals, I was competing at another event in New York when my ski broke in half. I crashed so violently that my left foot was nearly broken off. I shattered the tibia and fibula. Soft tissue was the only thing keeping my leg attached to my body. In an instant, my life completely changed. I left the lake in an ambulance, delirious with pain. Thank goodness, my four-year-old daughter was playing on the playground and missed my crash and its aftermath. I was in a hospital for three weeks while the doctors tried to figure out what to do with the mess that had been my lower leg and ankle. Knowing I was determined to ski again, my doctor consulted with the world’s best trauma surgeons. It seemed hopeless. Six months later, the doctors removed my cast. I was shocked. My leg looked like it belonged on an alien! There was no way I was going to be able to walk on that leg again, let alone ski. I was sent back for another surgery where they discovered I was missing one and a half inches of the largest bone in my body. It had been pulverized in the crash. This time, the doctors replaced the missing bone with a bone graft from my hip… and warned me that if my leg didn’t improve, they would have to amputate. What?! I was not willing to believe this news. I had known God as my personal Lord and Savior since I was in third grade. I knew He had the power to help me, and according to Matthew 8:3, He was willing to help me, too. Nothing was impossible for Him. With childlike faith, I trusted Him to move my mountain. It was touch and go for another four months. The doctors said I was getting clinically better, but the X-rays showed no evidence of improvement. After two surgeries and eleven more months of rest, I finally turned the corner. This time when they unveiled my foot, it actually looked like a human foot again. I was improving physically, but I still had many wounds of the heart and mind that needed attention. I found myself growing depressed. Being a driven athlete, it was difficult not being able to do things for myself. The realization that life as I had known it was gone and my identity as a professional athlete was no more was at times too much to accept. I had lost my ability to do the things I loved—ski, play basketball, volleyball, hike, dance, and run. I couldn’t even walk without severe pain. My life felt like it was in complete shambles. Bills piled up as my livelihood as a It’s Time by Jennifer Leachman LaPoint For years, I carried bitterness and anger toward the man who had designed the ski that failed me, as well as his company. God, through His Word, repeatedly convicted me of my anger and unwillingness to forgive. But I refused to listen for a long time. Ephesians 4:26–27 warns us not to sin by letting our anger control us. It also says, “Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.” My anger festered for many years. I would tell myself that I had forgiven this person, but I had only forgiven him in my head, not in my heart. One day at a ski tournament, this person was volunteering as the dock starter. He was responsible for putting my handle on the ski rope and handing it to the boat crew. It was a bit uncomfortable as we stood there together on the dock. It was then that I heard these words, “It’s time.” I looked up to the heavens and started to cry. “You must be kidding!” I said out loud to God. “You want me to do this right here, right now?” I was dressed in my ski gear, about to compete! Sobbing, I walked over and put my hand on the shoulder of this man and told him I forgave him. In that moment, in that act of obedience, I was finally free of every negative thought I had toward him and I was free to finish my own recovery story. Are you free? It’s time to forgive. It’s time to let go of the anger in your heart and obey God. Ask Him to show you who or what you need to forgive. It may not be another person. It may be a company or even a government. It may be God, or even yourself. Whoever or whatever it is, it’s time. Your total healing and restoration won’t happen until you do. �� Jennifer celebrating her induction into the USA Water Ski Hall of Fame with her family. From left to right, daughter Taylor, husband Kris, Jennifer, and daughter, Huguette. continued on page 29 kojministries.org Issue 2 2017 23


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