Jaxon Strong

My dear friend Jess received a life-changing call last Sunday night that her oldest son, Jaxon, had been in a pond accident.  He was taken by ambulance and then flown to the Stead Family Children's Hospital in Iowa City for emergency surgery.  He fractured his C5 vertebrae and suffered a severe spinal cord injury as a result of the accident.  He has a long road ahead but is already proving to be one amazing fighter, making his way out of PICU days earlier than expected, moving muscles and dishing out jokes to his nurses.  Jess said when a physical therapist asks Jax to do three exercises, he says, "I'll do five."  Praying so hard for everyday progress that leads to full healing for this awesome kid. 

My friend, Jess, has taught me a lot about Jesus the past few years, especially what it means to truly live out a life of faith.  And that life oftentimes looks like laying it all down in order to live for the people around you.  Jess has been that person for me.  I remember on one of the worst nights of Beau's parents' health issues, after Beau had been in Hampton for days and all felt like it was unraveling around here, Jess showed up with a bag full of groceries and the yummiest tacos ready to eat.  She brought soup and fresh bread the night of Beau's hand surgery, and is that friend who often drops off a simple mason jar of fresh flowers or a pretty note of the words she's so good at stringing together.  She's a loyalist, a person who's invested in knowing herself, her gifts, and how to use them to build God's kingdom and love the people He's placed in her path really really well.  

I remember sitting around a room filled with some of these women in Jess's life for her 40th birthday weekend last fall in Door County.  We were there, celebrating her 40th, but she had spent time before this writing letters to every single woman there.  She went around the room one by one the night of her birthday and read the letters out loud to the women who have shaped her and been a part of her life through her best and worst times.  I remember being so inspired when I heard stories of women just entering her mess during a dark time, doing her laundry, cleaning her fridge, and praying for her when she just didn't have the words herself.  I was inspired and challenged and I wondered if I had anyone I had truly let in to those vulnerable places.  Jess has never been afraid of vulnerability, nor has she ever held back from showing up right into the places many people avoid.  It's raw, it's beautiful, and I think it's a pretty true picture of the way God designed his people to live out his vision for the church.  

I know how much Jess loves the body of Christ.  She firmly and passionately believes that Christ's church is us, all made of unique, individual parts that all have a part to play to function best.  1 Corinthians 12 says:

All these are the work of one and the same spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts, they form one body.  So it is with Christ.

If one part suffers, every part suffers with it.  If one part rejoices, every part rejoices with it.

Now you are the body of Christ.  Each one of you is a part of it.

I told Jess that I have never seen a more beautiful picture of the body of Christ and its unique, individual parts come together to fill in the spaces this week.  We have suffered with them, and we have rejoiced with them.  And while this battle is great, God's army is greater.  Twenty four hours after Jaxon's accident, a Caring Bridge page, Go Fund Me, and Meal Train were set up.  Karen, knowing all too well what it means to give your son's health to God, offered to run the Care Page.  Back home, there were people doing all the laundry, ordering birthday cakes and shopping for presents for Jax's little brother, opening a P.O. box for cards, and taking care of dogs.  Our dear friend, Natalie, who has found herself in a bit of an in-between stage of her own, has selflessly offered to step in at home for the youngest four siblings.  When I called to check in with her this morning, she said that some of Jax's best friends have shown up at the house every day - they play hide-and-seek, bring their swim trunks and splash in the pool, or take a kid for ice cream or golfing.  The other day, four women showed up to fold and put away laundry, make fresh beds, and clean the fridge.  One of their friends is using his Iowa Hawkeye and NFL connections to get several of Jaxon's favorite Hawkeyes and Vikings players to send him notes of encouragement.  Jess has told stories of nurses who have gotten on their knees to pray with her, and doctors who have prayed out loud to Jaxon.  And it's only been a week.  

There is holy spirit power in knowing your gifts and using them to lift up people in need.  And when your gifts are working alongside the gifts of others, something so much bigger than ourselves happens.  It's God, hearing our prayers and using his people to surround Jaxon with love while he carries out a plan for his life.  A plan that will indeed be immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine.      

And speaking of putting our gifts together, we threw together a little lemonade stand for Jaxon this week.  The kids sold lemonade and homemade cookies and Beau and I said if they worked hard, we'd match their total.  And then one of our great neighbors said he would match their total, too.  Sweet friends bought lemonade (in person and virtually!), and together we raised $1,050 to support Jaxon's journey.  How cool is that?

When life gives you lemons, make some lemonade.  And then link arms to make it something a lot bigger than one person could muster up.  I am praying hard for full healing for Jaxon, but also praying for lots of these everyday miracles in between.