Picture of Brad Tinnon

Brad Tinnon

A Bicycle and a Jump Rope

I was really mad at God when He allowed my daughter to break her wrist. Looking back I realize how foolish that was considering that I have a client who is facing a much more real danger.

A RECIPE FOR DISASTER

About 6 weeks ago, I was playing in the front yard with my almost 6 year old daughter.  She was on her John Deere bicycle (with training wheels) and she asked me to tie a jump rope to the back of it (her idea, not mine – I promise). She wanted me to hold on to the jump rope so that she could pull me along like a piece of farm equipment. So, when people asked me how my daughter broke her wrist, I would say “it involved a bicycle and a jump rope”.

Based on what I’ve told you so far, it would seem that this is a recipe for disaster, to which I would agree.  But, the accident didn’t happen when she was pulling me. It happened when the bicycle was standing completely still. At that point I had decided that I would use the jump rope to pull the bicycle backwards slightly. I thought that would amuse my daughter since she would be pedaling to go forward but would be unable to do so since I was pulling the bicycle backwards.

As I pulled the rope the bicycle started to wobble.  My daughter put her foot down so that she wouldn’t fall.  She then lost her balance but regained it again.  Shortly thereafter, she lost her balance again.  She still had her foot on the ground and at this point was actually closer to the ground than she was before – maybe about 8 inches away. All she had to do was place her hand down to brace herself. But instead she chose to place her forearm on the ground to brace her fall. It wasn’t a hard impact at all.  In fact, just the opposite.  It was so mild that I thought everything would be fine.  Well instead, when she placed her forearm on the ground, she immediately said “I think I broke a bone”.

I took her inside and put some ice on it and after a while she felt fine.  There was no bruising, redness, or swelling so I thought we were in the clear. However, when I pressed on the top of her wrist she complained of pain. The next day we took her to get x-rays and the results showed that she had a buckle fracture on her wrist. Apparently when she fell on her forearm, the pressure caused the break to take the path of least resistance which is why her wrist ended up getting broken.

MAD AT GOD

I was so mad at God because the whole time during the accident I could have easily grabbed my daughter and she wouldn’t have broken her wrist. The reason I never grabbed her is because the whole incident seemed really innocent and mild.  As I said, I felt she could’ve easily just placed her hand down and had a very gentle fall. And sometimes when you rush to the aide of someone, you end up causing more harm than good.

I stayed mad at God for about two days. I couldn’t understand why He would let such an innocent thing turn into a bigger deal than it needed to be. I couldn’t understand why He would let me feel like my daughter’s fall was innocent.  I wish He would have clued me in to think that I should have grabbed her before she fell.

QUESTIONING GOD

I’m sure we’ve all felt that way at some point or another. When something unfavorable happens to us or a loved one, the natural question is “Why would you allow this God?” I don’t have the answer to this question, but what I do have is a client who is demonstrating more strength than is humanly possible. A client who is somehow managing to keep moving forward by putting one foot in front of the other. And they are doing so under much more difficult circumstances than a broken wrist.

CLIENT’S UNBORN BABY

Our client’s, Paulo and Laura Ribeiro, are expecting a baby on June 30th. This also happens to be my birthday, so I feel more compelled to share their story. Their baby was diagnosed with a rare condition known as Potter’s Syndrome. In simple terms, this is a condition, where the baby’s kidney’s are essentially missing or undeveloped, which causes the lungs to not develop.  Although the child is fine now, once born, he or she will be unable to breathe and will not survive. There is no cure for this condition. In fact, it is such a rare condition that very little research has been done and the doctors don’t know what to do – except to wait for the fate of the baby.

It’s times like these that we realize our dependence on God. After all, there’s nowhere else to turn.

HOW CAN YOU HELP

I am simply asking you to pray that God will heal this child. That God will work a miracle. I’m not asking you for money, just prayer. I don’t know what God will do, but I know that prayer can be a very powerful thing when many are joined together. Please join me and the many others in prayer for this baby and also for Paulo and Laura. Also, please share this story by clicking on the sharing icons below.

I’m so encouraged by the strength of Paulo and Laura. I’m not sure I would handle it in the way that they describe in their journal. If you get a chance to read it, I know that you will be encouraged as well. Paulo and Laura I admire your faith and strength so much!!

Brad E.S. Tinnon
CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™

Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter
Email
Print

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

OUR PLEDGE

  • No Sales Tactics
  • No Commissions
  • No Investment Limitations
  • No Sales Quotas
  • No Investment Minimums
  • No Minimum Fees
  • True Financial Planning
  • Satisfaction Guarantee

Stay Connected

Get Weekly Financial Tips

Scroll to Top

Thank you so much for signing up to receive periodic Finance Tips! We hope you enjoy the content.

* Downloading PDF will also sign you up to receive weekly financial tips. But don’t worry, you can always unsubscribe anytime.

Please check your email for the download instructions. We hope you enjoy the content!