Tuesday, December 8, 2015

FINDING HOPE

Today I want to tell you a little of my personal journey and how I made it through.
It was October 1990, I was sent to Philadelphia to see a group of specialists because there was no physician near here that could determine my diagnosis. I had extensive nerve damage to various organs in my body, and my legs. My condition was worsening. The pain was unmanageable.
 We drove 5 1/2 hours to Philadelphia.
I knew I had many people praying for me.  I had peace that God would see me through this.
Then the diagnosis came- a "Tethered Spinal Cord". A WHAT?  What did this mean?
I kept hanging on to God's promise that He would take care of me. We went to meet with the neurosurgeon. She explains the surgery. But there were some things I needed to know. The surgery had been attempted twice on an adult. Neither survived. The surgery was not successful. At this point my emotions and fear were consuming me. I had a 6 yr old little boy at home.  I was not ready to leave him. I wanted to take care of him the way a Mom does. The surgeon went on to say the options. First, no surgery, I would surely die within a few years.
Next, I may not survive the surgery. Next, I may not walk again. Finally, I may get a little worse and then stay the same. She explained the surgery and what she thought. She was optimistic and encouraging. So we left to come home and try to make a decision.
I sat here one day, praying, asking God to help me through this. I remember crying, telling God I had lost my hope. I felt I had little faith left. Then trust came in to my mind. Do I TRUST God? Yes, I trust God. It was at this point I felt a peace over me, knowing others were praying for me and had faith for me. They had hope. I heard God say to me, lean on the strength of the others and their faith. I didn't even know how to pray anymore, but others were praying.
I still needed that hope. And I found it. Through the faithfulness of others, and through the Bible-God's Word, and through worship. I flooded my mind with His Word, and worship music.
Paul and I prayed and knew I had to have the surgery.
February 1991 I had the surgery. I went in knowing the Body of Christ had me covered. It took me a few months to recuperate, but the outcome I stayed the same. I SURVIVED!
You may be going through a tragic situation.  You may be wondering where God is.  You feel helpless. Trust me, you can have that hope, faith, trust. You don't have to walk through this alone. Reach out to someone who can strengthen you. Lean on them.
God is a faithful, loving God. He wants the best for you. Trust Him.
Psalm 130:5 “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;”
‭Be hopeful,
Kathy






1 comment:

  1. Realizing what "trusting in God" means as we walk through difficulties and pain in life--this is key! Thank you for the reminder. I do trust God. It is good to hear about your trust in Him.

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