He was a small-town doctor who seemed to have everything going for him: a beautiful wife, two small children, a thriving practice, regular church attendance.
One week, Jeff Huxford was in small group, complaining about not having a crazy God-story to share. He was jealous that others had amazing testimonies that spoke of the goodness of the Lord, completely unaware of what was about to happen next.
“And one week later, God is like, ‘OK, here’s a story that you said you wanted,'” Huxford says. “Eventually I felt like God’s given me this story [so I can share it with others]. I shouldn’t have the ability to tell it. I shouldn’t be able to talk or stand, so I better tell my story.”
In May 2012, a truck collided into Jeff Huxford’s vehicle when the driver failed to stop at flashing red lights along a small highway.
When emergency personnel arrived at the scene, Huxford’s vehicle was wrapped around a utility pole and he’d suffered a severe traumatic brain injury.
He remembers nothing of the days that followed, but doctors tell him his survival is a miracle. Six years later, Huxford has exceeded all their expectations and details his experience in his memoir, Finding Normal.
It’s incredible to hear how God orchestrated events that day—from how his son rode the bus that morning to the paramedic who was able to respond to the 911 call—but Huxford says the real miracle is how the Holy Spirit revealed Himself in intimate ways.
“I grew up knowing about knowing about the Holy Spirit, but I didn’t recognize Holy Spirit as a someone that lives inside of us who gives us power,” Huxford says of his faith before the accident. “Then I realized that I can use my own life I’ve been given [to share about the Holy Spirit] because He’s empowered me to do this. I can depend on Him.”
Huxford returned to work for three years, until his doctors informed him that the daily challenge was actually shrinking his brain. He was forced to reconsider his relationship with Christ again.
Once Huxford retired, he went with his wife to a conference where he says he experienced a profound awakening.
The speaker was preaching from Revelation 3:16 about lukewarm Christianity.
“In the past when I heard that first, I’d be feeling bad for the lukewarm people because they thought they were doing so good and now they are being spit out by God,” Huxford says. “This time when I heard it, I thought, ‘Holy cow, I might be one of these lukewarm people.’ The way I’ve been living and the way I’ve been practicing my faith, I’ve not been all in. I’ve been lukewarm. …
“Something changed. I’ve not been the same since that thought.”
As he grew in his faith, he knew the Holy Spirit was calling him to share his testimony in mighty ways—and time was running out.
“I decided to do it so early on because one of the reports the neurologists gave me was that, based on my injury and what my MRI shows, they suspect in 5-10 years, that I will lose a lot of the ability to do what I have now. The things I can do now, that’s going to start getting worse. In 50 years, I can’t do it, so I wanted to get it down now,” Huxford says.
What started as a blog turned into a book. He shares his story whenever prompted by others. He is a walking testimony of the goodness and mercy of the Lord.
Though Huxford continues to defy doctors’ expectations, he knows it’s entirely based on the Holy Spirit.
“I survived this accident when I should have died,” Huxford says. “The fact that I’m doing as well as I am now is a miracle. Based on what my MRI shows, when doctors look at it, they don’t know how I’m functioning.”
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