A WOW GOD Story - Guest Cast with The Unfolding Podcast

On this Guest Cast Episode, Rhonda Stoppe was invited to share her WOW God Story where it first aired on: The Unfolding Podcast.
Listen to this and other amazing WOW God stories by subscribing to The Unfolding Podcast.
"In everything, give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." These words from 1 Thessalonians 5:18 came to mind for Rhonda at her breaking point as her son battled severe epilepsy. Through heartbreak and surrender, she discovered how God brought purpose and beauty even in the hardest moments.

Books Mentioned:
Moms Raising Sons to Be Men

The Unfolding Podcast - WBGL

with Meridith Foster

God’s story has been unfolding since the beginning of time and he invites you to be a part of it. Join Meridith Foster each week to hear God’s unfolding story in the lives of His people. Follow along with us and gain encouragement and insight into how God is shaping your story.

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"This podcast is for the purpose of mentoring only and is not a replacement for therapy. We suggest you seek out the help of a trained biblical counselor for help with your specific situation.”

Transcript

Intro  [00:00:01]:
God's story, your life, unfolding short stories.

Host [00:00:10]:
Thanksgiving, a time to gather, celebrate, and give thanks. But what happens when life circumstances make gratitude feel impossible? Today's story begins with a mother who prayed, I quit, God, as she watched her son endure unimaginable suffering. But through her tears and doubts, she discovered what it truly means to give thanks in everything. This is unfolding short stories. In today's episode, in everything give thanks reminds us of the unexpected ways God meets us in difficult moments.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:00:43]:
I quit God. I'm done. I'm done serving you. I remember praying that prayer so clearly. God, we are opening our home to these teenagers. They are coming to Jesus. We are trashing our house in Jesus name and you can't heal my son. I quit.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:00:59]:
I remember how devastated I was when my son was battling severe seizure activity, epilepsy. Let me back up and tell you the story. We had just moved to Austin, Texas from California. I'm a California girl. And we moved there, and we ended up planting a church in Austin. And while we were there, our home is what we used for youth ministry. We had 200 teenagers coming to our house every Wednesday night, And my husband was making hot dogs for them because if you feed them, they will come. And these kids were coming to Jesus.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:01:33]:
We lived in the Bible belt, and these kids knew about Jesus. They all had a granddaddy preacher who was the Baptist preacher or a deacon. They knew about Jesus. But when they started understanding their need for a savior, for true repentance and genuine salvation, they came to Christ in droves, and it was a glorious season in our lives. And while that was happening, one night, my son was upstairs, and he was 6 years old at the time. His little sister started screaming, Something's wrong with Brand. And I went running upstairs, and he was on the floor having a seizure. I didn't know what happened.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:02:09]:
I thought he fell off the top bunk bed, broke his neck. I couldn't he had a 28 minute long seizure. If you know anything about that, that's really dangerous to their mental capacity. Their brain stops getting oxygen. I called 911, Steve was out of town. He actually had gone back to California to pick up one of our cars. I called 911, the lifelike came, the police came, that little boy was still having a seizure, and then he passed out. And when he woke up, they were doing a sternum rub on his chest to try to get him to breathe.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:02:40]:
They were just getting ready to do a tracheotomy when he gasped for air, and they took Brandon and they put him on the helicopter. And when he left, he was talking baby talk. I want dada, mama, where dada? Brandon had been an articulate bright little boy, and they took him from me, and had been an articulate bright little boy, and they took him from me and whisked him away to a hospital. We were new in town. I didn't even know where the hospital was. And off my son went on a helicopter. They wouldn't let me go to the hospital until I was calm enough to drive, and then they gave me clear instructions. He might have brain damage.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:03:11]:
Prepare yourself. I cry even now. As I drove to the hospital, I prayed for Brandon. I knew he wasn't gonna die. I knew that he had survived this seizure, but I also prayed that God would just protect his mind and give him clarity. And when I got to the hospital, Brandon was jumping on his bed. I went on a helicopter. And I'm like, dude, you did.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:03:32]:
And it was awesome, and we celebrated, and he was fine. They started doing some tests on him. They did EEGs. They glued these little things to your brain, and they test them while they're sleeping to see severe seizure activity. And one time while they were doing that, we were in the hospital for several days while they were running these tests trying to figure out the cause of Brandon's seizure. I went over and I gave him a kiss on his temple when he had fallen asleep while they were doing the EEG. And the tech called me over and she circled on the readout, and she said, mom's kiss. She said, they know you kiss them when they're sleeping.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:04:06]:
And I love to tell that to moms because I know when I My kids are in junior high, I used to go in and kiss them when they were sleeping and whisper in their ear, you love mommy, mommy loves you. But just to stay connected with them. But it was a sweet, sad season. And then we went home and the doctor said, called and said he has severe seizure activity. He is going to have more seizures. And I said, no, he's not. He is a normal healthy little boy. He is not going to have more seizures.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:04:31]:
But you know what? He did. Seizure after seizure. In fact, that whole summer, I slept on my stomach while he slept on a pallet on the floor next to me, and he would hold my hand while he fell asleep, because he was so afraid of having seizures in his sleep. Brandon got medication that helped his seizures. However, it sedated him severely. It made him kind of a shadow of the boy he had been. They put him on special ed at school. And when the school administrator uses the word special ed about your child, it seems flippant to them.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:05:05]:
But to you, it just pierces your heart. In my book, moms raising sons to be men. One of the things I say there is in a moment, everything changed. So as life took on a new type of normal, we were going to see neurologists and having medications. He didn't wanna play sports. He didn't wanna do anything except he played Legos. And a friend of ours who was a kid in our youth group taught him how to play the guitar, and he would play his guitar for hours on end. And we kind of were like, okay, this is who we are.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:05:32]:
This is who Brandon is. And we moved forward in life. And after 4 years of Brandon being heavily sedated and us watching him not be You know, our whole family's a little bit crazy, a lot of energy, and he was a very quiet kind of cool kid. I was coaching high school cheerleading in Texas at the time. If you know anything about that, you know, that's like Friday night lights, the whole thing. I dreamed one day that my son would run 1 down the field or hit 1 out of the park and the crowd would glory in his accomplishments through his athletic abilities. He didn't wanna play sports at all. And as we settled into this normal, one night I missed a dose.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:06:07]:
He had to take his meds 3 times a day, and And Steve thought I gave it to him and I thought he gave it to him. So he went to bed without it and he had a severe seizure. And when I called the neurologist, they said, Yeah, that's evidence that he still is struggling with severe seizure activity. And that's what drove me to my room, weeping beside my bed and asking the Lord, I quit. We're serving you. Can you not heal my son? And here's the part I want you to get. When the Bible says you hide God's word in your heart that you don't sin against Him. See, you don't know what you're gonna face.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:06:39]:
You don't know what trials are gonna come across your path, but when the word dwells in you richly, At that time when you're about ready to walk, when you're about ready to pull away from the Lord, his word will speak to your heart. Did I hear an audible voice? No. But as clearly as the spirit could speak to my heart, I heard in everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. That's, 1st Thessalonians 5:18. I wish I could say I said, okay, God. I didn't. I said, no. I cannot imagine how you can make good come of this situation for Brandon, but I know you love Brandon more than we do.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:07:17]:
And I know that your ways are above ours, and I know that only you can make good come of this. So I will say thank you with my lips, but you're gonna have to change my heart. Slowly, as we started watching Brandon, he would we had band practice in our house, worship band practice after youth group. He would sit behind the different instruments and he could play them. In fact, my husband, Steve said, I have never met someone at 10 years old who thinks in music theory like Brandon does. And slowly, it began to dawn on us that Brandon was becoming a a musician, a worship leader, a worshipper. Over the years, Brandon's 36 years old now. He grew up.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:07:55]:
He became an amazing, phenomenal musician. He studied music in college, went to Cal Baptist University, and he studied music and biblical studies. He graduated from school. He has toured with some incredible Christian bands, and now he's a worship pastor. He's married. He has 4 children of his own. And here's the point of that story. What if I had walked? What if my son had seen me shake my fist at God, resent God for not healing my son? What would that have taught my son? See, sometimes your trial is not about you.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:08:26]:
It's about validating your testimony to your children. And when Brandon grew up, he knew the source of his strength and he became a worship pastor. I wanted to hear the crowd glory in my son's accomplishments through his athletic abilities. God got me out of the way because he wanted to raise up my son to bring the crowd to glory in his son's accomplishments through worship. His ways were above ours and his thoughts are above ours. There is nothing that we can imagine that God can do, but when we go through those troubles, give thanks. In everything, give thanks. It's God's will for you and for me.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:09:01]:
And looking back, I know that's exactly what God needed my children to see so that they could trust God when they walked through their own trials.

Host [00:09:11]:
Rhonda's story is a powerful reminder that even in the midst of suffering, God is faithful. As First Thessalonians 5:18 reminds us, "in everything, give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Her story moved from tragedy to triumph as God used her son's challenges to reveal his greater purpose, but I know that's not always the way every story unfolds. And if you're dealing with loss, pain, or tragedy this season, I'm truly sorry. The holidays can make those moments feel even heavier. Yet like Rhonda, I also believe in a God who can turn the tide, shift perspectives, and fill the spaces of loss with unexpected hope. May you be reminded of God's goodness this Thanksgiving week. From all of us at The Unfolding, happy Thanksgiving.

Host [00:10:03]:
The Unfolding is a Wow God production. You can discover more at wowgod.com.