In his book, Hope for the Troubled Heart, Billy Graham introduces us to Gretchen, the lady whose sun-filled life disintegrated one day. Gretchen had everything—beauty, wealth, an attentive, caring husband. She fulfilled every girl’s dream of “what I want to be when I grow up.” Then one morning a drunk driver crossed Gretchen’s path, launching Gretchen’s car into a fatal spin. The car hurtled across the freeway and exploded in a burning inferno. Gretchen’s mother died instantly. Some would say what Gretchen suffered was worse than death. The beautiful face disappeared forever. A blank socket had replaced her beautiful gleaming eye. Her nose showed signs of total reconstruction. Her blemish-free, smooth-as-silk skin was covered with scars. A missing arm gave a final reminder of the horrible accident.
In the face of such injustice, what did Gretchen do? Recovering from her coma after six weeks, she discovered her new appearance and circumstances. All she could imagine doing was hiding. She wanted no one to see her. She endured over seventy operations. She retreated solely into the world of television. There she saw a Billy Graham crusade and gave her life to Christ.
Now seven years after the horrendous experience, she was ready to come out of hiding and face the world with her scarred, mutilated face. She realized life still had purpose. Rescuing her from death, God had a reason for her life. She volunteered at a rehabilitation center. There she met others for whom life had been quite unfair. They saw her face and knew she understood their experiences. A ministry developed. Now when asked what her greatest joy in life has been, she does not have to retreat to the distant past where life was full of sunshine and dreams. She states quickly and firmly, “My greatest joy is waking up in the morning and knowing that nothing is an accident.”
Source: Hope for the Troubled Heart by Billy Graham