Cindy’s journey took her through challenges way beyond what she thought she could ever endure.

How Cindy made it through COVID-19 and Trauma

As Christians, we believe that God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble. Cindy Mansfield’s story speaks to the power of prayer and faith in God’s goodness and mercy.

“It was the day before the wedding that we received this horrible phone call,” Cindy said. “My son was on a business trip and was in a chartered bus. And on the way back, they had this horrific accident.”

Cindy’s son was near death.

She said, “We just went immediately to prayer asking the Lord to save our son, Ricky.”

By the time Cindy and her husband, Richard arrived at the hospital in Lubbock, Texas, Ricky had just come out of an 18-hour surgery and survived. As days turned into weeks and weeks became months, Cindy knew that Richard had to get back to the church they pastored. She told her husband, “I can’t leave my son’s side. I’ve got to be here for him.” And so she stayed longer.

Eventually she returned to Alburquerque only to have her husband test positive for COVID a few days later.

… and a few days after that, Cindy also tested positive. Cindy said, “I knew I couldn’t get back to my son’s side.”

Then Richard became extremely ill; his oxygen dropped down into the 70s. Cindy said, “I looked at Richard and literally, it looked like he had lipstick liner on his lips. It was purple.” At their doctor’s direction, she immediately called for an ambulance.

“The loudest noise I had ever heard – and it kept me up for days – was the doors on the ambulance slamming shut.”

Cindy stood in her driveway thinking, What’s going to happen, Lord? My husband’s not doing well. My son is in Lubbock, Texas, trying to stay alive.

Cindy faced a series of challenges that tested her faith and stretched her beyond what she thought she could ever endure. Her son’s life-threatening accident, her husband and her own battle with COVID-19 and her son’s prolonged hospital stay were all painful and overwhelming situations. But in the midst of it all, she turned to God in prayer, seeking His intervention and comfort.

In the Bible, we see numerous examples of people who faced daunting situations and found strength and hope in God. David, for instance, faced many trials, including the threat of death, betrayal by friends and the guilt of his own sins. Yet, he wrote in Psalm 34:19 that “many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all” (KJV).

And Paul, the apostle, suffered greatly for the sake of the gospel, including imprisonment, beatings and stoning. But he declared in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 that “we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” (ESV).

Even in our darkest moments, we can find hope and strength in God’s promises.

Cindy experienced this firsthand when she listened to worship music and heard a good word from Family Life Radio. With the sound of the slamming ambulance doors on repeat in her mind, Cindy said, “I walked in and the house was empty. And the first thing I needed to hear was worship music. I needed to hear a good word.”

Although Cindy was alone, she had Family Life Radio. “They filled my home with God’s peace. It was just an enormous amount of peace that I never knew I could experience in such pain, physically and emotionally.”

Through her experiences, Cindy found that prayer, worship and the support of her community could bring her comfort and peace in times of hardship. As Christians, we can take inspiration from her example and remember that God is always with us, even in the most difficult of circumstances. As we do, we can overcome any obstacle, endure any trial and find strength and hope in His unfailing love, just as Cindy did.