Many of you have heard that I was hit by a car while running a few years ago. Well, I took it personally. Not so much from the driver of the car, but from the enemy of my soul. You see, since I began running, it has been symbolic to me. It symbolizes ‘running my race’ for God and finding and fulfilling my destiny in this life. It is a metaphor for doing what I was born to do, until the end, and crossing over to the next life victoriously.
The reason it was so profound for me to physically run is that most of my life, I believed I could not, nor would I ever, run. I almost died three times as a child of severe asthma attacks and running was one of my worst triggers. When I felt compelled to run in my late 30s, it defied all logic and flew in the face of every limiting belief I had about myself and what I was capable of. Yet, I was compelled to run. Something greater than myself [God] pushed me to get out there and pound that pavement. I ran one mile, then one-and-a-half, then two, and so on. And with every mile I logged, my belief in the impossible becoming possible INCREASED! I reasoned that if I, a non-athletic, asthmatic, could run a real race and cross a real finish line, then why couldn’t I finish my course for God? From the beginning, much of my mental focus while running was centered around growing this new belief.
So, when I was out on a run on a beautiful, Florida morning in 2014, and a car HIT ME, I took it personally. I took it as a message and that message was not encouraging. It was like the enemy of my soul was saying, “You WILL NOT finish your course. I’ll see to it.”
You may be thinking, “Wow, this woman has a really vivid imagination.” Well, I do, but, my imagination did not conjure this thing up.
God spoke very clearly to me while I was in the hospital saying,
“You can tell the size of your destiny by the size of your opposition.”
Well then…it was a battle for my destiny!
When I was a child, my momma called my stubborn a few (a lot of) times. It seemed such a negative thing! Now, I call it grit and I’m grateful I have it because it has gotten me through a lot of personal hells (along with the Power of God). Whatever you wish to call it, it came in quite handy when I realized I had a real enemy who was trying real hard for me to be real side-lined.
So, I determined that I wouldn’t be benched for long! I would get out of that wheelchair, back out on the pavement and across another finish line! I’m happy to say that with God’s power and my grit, today I am fully recovered! Not only am I still a runner, but a marathoner now, too. In fact, I have gone on to run 10 or so races since the accident and even took a first place medal in one of them. But that’s not the thing that gives me the ‘thrill of victory.’
A little known fact in my story is that just TWO WEEKS before being hit by that car, I birthed the most personal and profound extension of my destiny to date. The Fellowship of Extraordinary Women was born on October 15, 2014, as I stepped into my calling. FEW was created to empower women to live the extraordinary lives (the lives Jesus died to give them) and to tell their stories. And someone didn’t like it. It was no coincidence that just two weeks later, I was unable to even walk, much less run.
Don’t worry guys, this has a happy ending! Someone DID LIKE what I was up to with FEW. That my friends, is my Maker, My God, and He has given me the grace and strength to not only recover from my accident, but to keep running my race with Him! By the grace of God, FEW’s reach has expanded! Since my accident, FEW has grown from one monthly meeting to THREE; we meet in two cities, as well as virtually (online).
Additionally, since publishing it’s first book, The Ah-Ha Effect, FEW International Publications has emerged as a full service “Indie” publisher offering publishing packages for devotionals, inspirational memoirs, children’s books, short stories and poetry. Our newest release, the second in our “Effect Series,” called, “The Miracle Effect,” releases in JUST TWO DAYS! I’m honored to say that I contributed a miracle story of my own to this powerful book. Any guesses as to what miracle story I wrote about? Yep.
As I get ready to unveil my miracle story of being hit by a car and fully recovering… get this… I get to unveil NINETEEN other stories, too! The enemy’s attempt didn’t just backfire with me– but because of my deepened commitment to FEW’s mission, doors have opened for many, many more women to tell their stories, too! FEW International Publications will continue to give women a place where their stories matter and can impact the world! I believe that FEW will go on to catapult not just me, but thousands, dare I even say, millions of women into their destinies, too. THIS, my friends, is the race mapped out for me to run, and I will run it until the end.
By the way, I’m positive the end isn’t here yet– because I’m still here and I’m still running! And that, in and of itself, is a miracle!
xoxo,
Kimberly
PS. Watch our touching trailer below and meet the incredible women who share their hearts and miracle stories in FEW’s newest release!
PPS. Get your copy of The Miracle Effect HERE on Cyber Monday on AMAZON!
extra ✺ ordinary 