The Wake-Up Call that Saved My Life

Have you ever had a wake-up call that shook you to the very core? In today’s Shining Like Stars post, I have my new friend Shauna sharing openly and vulnerably about the brokenness in her life that led to her breakthrough.

It’s not pretty and she’s doesn’t sugar-coat anything. What we find here is an honest reflection of the wake-up call that saved Shauna’s life.

I pray you will be inspired as much as I was.

The Wake-up Call That Saved a Wretch Like Me

By Shauna Parker

Although I have been through a lot in my life, I believe the worst years ever were 2007 – 2014. In 2007 I not only graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree that would forever put me in debt, but I also married a man I despised.

As the years went by, I couldn’t find a job where I could actually use my degree. Looking back, I believe this was because I felt entitled.

My husband at the time was not a Christian and this just fueled the fire. Although I claimed to be a Christian, I wasn’t “living” the Christian life.

In 2007 I got pregnant and had a miscarriage three weeks in. Exactly nine months later I was pregnant again. My son was born February 5, 2009. That is when my entire life (almost) changed.

Something Wasn’t Right

I had been pushing for what felt like hours before my doctor arrived.

The pain was excruciating. It wasn’t anything the same pain as when I had my daughter.

For weeks leading up to my inducement I had a feeling that I just couldn’t shake. Deep down inside I knew I was going to die. And I was terrified.

It was a time in my life when I was trying so desperately to get back to God. I prayed daily and read my Bible almost daily. But there were always distractions.

God felt so distant. Almost like he didn’t even exist. I think there was a time when I actually began to doubt that God was real, and Jesus really did die on the cross for our sins.

I never admitted it out loud, but the thoughts crossed my mind many times.

When my doctor finally arrived she checked my dilation only to find out I was not dilated to a ten but instead to a six. I had already been pushing for what seemed like hours! And at this point, I had two choices: emergency cesarean, or take a chance of my son being born with cerebral palsy. Of course, I opted for the emergency cesarean. 

God Saved A Wretch Like Me

My doctor asked me if I had any questions as they were prepping for me surgery. I had just one. “What are the chances of dying?”

After she wiped the surprised look off her face, she told me that there was only a 1% chance. And that 1% chance is usually when the mother is asleep. I would be awake.

Still feeling uneasy I did my best to hold onto what little faith I had.

The delivery went well and I had a bouncy beautiful 8 pound 6 ounce baby boy! Unable to move my arms the nurse wrapped him up and brought him down to my face so I could kiss his sweet, still bloody, forehead.

That is when it happened. God saved a wretch like me. It was two days before I saw my son again. Two days before I got to hold him tight in my arms.

Laying there on that operating table with my arms strapped down out to each side, my lifeless body might have resembled Jesus when He was on the cross. Arms outstretched and tied down. Legs straight and strapped at the ankles.

I should have died that night, but I didn’t.

After I woke up and was taken off of Life Support, the ICU doctor came into my ICU room many times to tell me I ‘shouldn’t’ be alive.

“No one loses 7 liters of blood and lives through it!”, the ICU doctor exclaimed.

God was real and He just saved a wretch like me. But why? I was nothing more than a broken vessel that surely disappointed Him many times over.

The Wake-Up Call That Took 5 Years

You would think I would have instantly changed my life after nearly dying and spending an entire week in the hospital.

Oh, how I would love to tell you that I did, but it didn’t play out that way. Instead the next five years were a struggle.

In 2012, my then husband cheated on me. And to be honest I wasn’t mad or hurt. Instead I was relieved. It was my way out of the marriage.

After the divorce I struggled with why God saved a wretch like me. What could He possibly have planned for me? How could my life be different because of that wake-up call?

Instead of drawing closer to those who could help, I pushed them away. This caused me to lose everything in 2014. My car, home, furniture, even our cell phones got shut off.

Of course, this was all a consequence of the choices I made. No one was to blame but me.

A Broken Vessel That Needed Guidance

A very good Christian friend once said to me “Shauna, I just want to shake you and ask what you’re doing wrong that you need to change?”

Sitting on a twin mattress that laid on the floor of my parents’ spare bedroom, I made the choice to give it all to God and be more like Jesus. No matter how hard it would get it couldn’t possibly get any harder than it already was.

That is when my life changed! God has blessed me in so many ways. Ways I never thought possible – thanks to that wake-up call.

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” Ephesians 2:4-5

I am now a successful Blogger, with a husband who adores me, and children who have attitudes from time to time but are still lovable!

God is using me in ways I would have never believed. He wants to use you too! You just have to let him. And you don’t need to wait for a wake-up call to get your attention. You can start living for Him right now.

How about you?

Has God used a wake-up call to get your attention?

How are you responding to the difficult seasons in your life? How are they changing you for the better and drawing you closer to God?

Meet Shauna

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This post is part of the Shining Like Stars series. Read all of them here.

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