Dave Harper, speaker, author, and paraplegic from Pinedale, Wyo, spoke at a Wildlife Dinner on April 5, 2013 at Midvalley Bible Church. The dinner was a special event for men and teen boys, catered by JK’s Indulgence. The meal included game meat chili and pot roast, BBQ chicken, and roasted vegetables. After the meal, men shared stories of hunting and fishing adventures, and Dan Jenkins of Rush Valley, Utah, sang gospel favorites with his guitar. Then Dave spoke about his love for the outdoors. As a teen he and a buddy would take only a knife and blanket on camping trips, challenging themselves to survive by their wits and skills.
But a car accident at age 16 left Dave broken and bleeding on a mountainside overnight. With a broken back, leg, arm, and ribs, and with sleet falling on his face, his self-sufficiency vanished. He needed rescued. At first he called on God to help him. Nothing happened. Then he cursed God, hoping that would get God’s attention. Still nothing happened. He hoped to die. Later, Dave would be thankful God let him live, because he was not ready for eternity. “I would have gone to Hell,” Dave said.
Paralyzed from the waist down at the age of 16, Dave became deeply depressed in the hospital. One day another wheelchair user came into his rehab room and popped a wheelie. He told Dave, “You need to make friends with your chair.”
Dave accepted the challenge. He eventually learned to hike, camp, hunt big game, cut firewood, and navigate stairs in his chair. He customized his truck so he could get in and out and stow his chair without help, and drive with hand controls.
Still, for many years, Dave remained angry at God and became bitter and critical. One day he realized he had no relationship with his son, and his marriage was failing. “I faced the reality that doing life ‘my way’ was not working. I needed God to take over.” When Dave prayed and asked God to be His Savior and take over his life, his sins were forgiven and his life gained meaning and direction. Soon his wife noticed that Dave was patient and accepting. She knew that he had surrendered to God, and their marriage began to heal.
Challenging everyone at the dinner to stop trying to run their own lives, Dave said, “You can have eternal life by trusting in Jesus Christ to forgive your sins. When you accept Him as your new Master, He gives you peace and purpose. Everyone faces hardships in life. One of mine is paralysis. But with God as our Savior and Lord, He gives us strength and enablement to have an abundant life [John 10:10]. Every day becomes an adventure.”
Dave is the author of two books about his life and experiences: Wager the Wild Land: A Paraplegic’s Triumph Over Tragedy, and Vanquishing the Void: A Paraplegic Discovers New Purpose. Both are available from Amazon in paperback, hardback, or Kindle Edition.
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