This morning I looked at my facebook page and a memory came up. The post was titled "Hope".When I read through it I felt this was a post many needed to see. After all, I do not think any of us are exempt from this need. We all need hope. Sometimes this need is more urgent than other times, but it never escapes us totally.
Here is the post I wrote 4 hears ago:
HOPE: I woke up this morning with hope on my mind. In this broken world we live in so many cannot find hope. But we must find it, we must have it.
I cannot imagine anyone prefers to walk in the doom and gloom of defeat and hopelessness. I know I don't. I want to walk in the victory of hope.
True hope, eternal hope comes only one way. Through the power and love of our Lord God, Jesus Christ.
You see Jesus fought the war for us. And He was victorious. The devil is forever defeated.
But that doesn't mean we sit back idle and not fight for truth. We still need to fight for our freedom in Jesus. We need to have that eternal hope in Jesus.
It would be easy for me to sit back and say well I can't walk much anymore, therefore I'm done. But NO WAY! I cannot do that. My hope and faith come from the Lord. I know He has better for me. And I claim it.
So people, let's walk in the victory we have in our hope.
I pray that whatever your circumstance, whatever you are facing, you find this hope in Jesus Christ. I pray you can walk in confidence knowing God has you covered. He has every circumstance of our lives in His hands. He asks us to trust in Him, and hang on to that hope we have in Him.
Proverbs 10:28 A: The hope of the righteous brings joy.
Hebrews 11:1: Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Monday, July 8, 2019
8 Years Ago!
Have you ever gone through something that forever leaves a very vivid impression on you? I’m sure most of us have. This could be something good or something not so good.
This has actually happened to me twice. Once in 1991, and again in 2011. Let me explain.
I was diagnosed with a very serious condition called a “Tethered Spinal Cord”. The first time in 1991. This was a matter of life and death. I had to have a very serious and complicated surgery. My spinal cord was stuck and encased in a tumor and scar tissue. Instead of floating freely in the spinal fluid it was pulled very taut. In 1991 I had to travel 6 hours away. There was no one locally who had performed the surgery. And even then, the surgery had never been successful on an adult. My choice was to leave it, become paralyzed, and face death sooner rather than later. Or have the surgery and hope I came out on top.
The power of prayer got me through that surgery. The doctor said it was a miracle I had a child and survived. And it was a miracle I was still walking. I still suffered from much nerve damage to many areas of my body. But I knew the Lord Jesus had more for me, and that included my husband and my son. I went into that surgery with “blind faith”. I trusted God to get me through that surgery. I had no idea what was to come afterward.
After a few months of recuperating I went back to work, as a nurse. I was so very thankful everyday for the miracles I had received. This brings us to 8 years ago.
My spinal cord was heavily damaged. The doctors explained to me that the nerve damage and spinal cord damage would continue to progress. They could not tell me how quickly I would reach the point of not walking. But, again, I had faith that God was watching over me.
Over the years I did notice the decline. And more areas of my body were not functioning well. I kept working. I truly enjoyed the work I did. I was not willing to give in. But eventually I had to stop. That was 2007. I could no longer work as a nurse. The nerve pain in my legs became excruciating. I was losing more function of my legs. Then came 2011.
I received news that I could not believe. AGAIN! The spinal cord was once again tethered. This time worse than the first. There was much more scar tissue and the tumor grew larger. By this time it was actually part of the spinal cord. I could not even think. I looked at my husband and felt sick.
My choice was the same as in 1991. Except the surgery had become more widely familiar. And at a closer hospital. Back to the OR I went. Once again surrounded in prayer. Others had the faith for me. They stood in the gap for me and interceded.
The surgery lasted several hours. And I do not remember much of the few days afterward. This time the cord was encased from top to bottom in scar tissue. The nerve roots to my legs were entangled and encased like a baseball. I was heavily sedated for a few days.
When I finally became more alert I was faced with the same scenario all over again. Would I walk again. I was determined. However I came home using a wheelchair and still in severe pain. That neuralgia can be quite intense. But it kept getting worse. It was now 4 weeks from date of surgery. The pain was severe. Then I began with a spinal headache. Back in the hospital I went. It was an obvious spinal fluid leak.
Back to the OR. It wasn’t just a leak. The sac that houses the spinal cord and fluid had ruptured. The nerve roots to my legs blew out through the hole. That explains the severity of the pain. The surgeon had a difficult time repairing the sac. It had become very brittle over the years from the scar tissue. He could not suture it. He had to use a graft and glue it. This set me back several weeks.
Eventually I came back home. Little by little my legs improved enough that I can walk short distances. That is victory to me. I still battle pain and weakness. And several issues with nerve damage to certain organs. But I still have victory. And I still have faith, hope, and trusting my Lord Jesus.
There is another part of this story of 8 years ago. The leukemia was also discovered then. I was convinced they had the wrong patient. However, they were correct. Once again through the grace of God, and many praying people, I maintain my hope in Jesus.
Why did I feel the need to share all of this? Because someone out there needs hope. Someone needs to know that our Lord will carry them through. We all face a tragedy in our lifetime. We all receive devastating news in our lifetime. And we all need help to get through those times. The help of our Lord Jesus. Jesus promises us, we will never walk alone. He is by our side, and He will carry us if so needed. I have been carried by Him many times.
At times our faith may be very little. That's okay.
Matthew 17:20 For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”
You see, Jesus knows our limitations. He knows our weaknesses. That is why He is always with us. We never walk alone.
My friends, I share this with you to encourage you. Whatever you are facing, God will give you the strength to get through. He will give you the grace you need, and the faith you need to go on. Your victory is waiting for you. Don't give up.
This has actually happened to me twice. Once in 1991, and again in 2011. Let me explain.
I was diagnosed with a very serious condition called a “Tethered Spinal Cord”. The first time in 1991. This was a matter of life and death. I had to have a very serious and complicated surgery. My spinal cord was stuck and encased in a tumor and scar tissue. Instead of floating freely in the spinal fluid it was pulled very taut. In 1991 I had to travel 6 hours away. There was no one locally who had performed the surgery. And even then, the surgery had never been successful on an adult. My choice was to leave it, become paralyzed, and face death sooner rather than later. Or have the surgery and hope I came out on top.
The power of prayer got me through that surgery. The doctor said it was a miracle I had a child and survived. And it was a miracle I was still walking. I still suffered from much nerve damage to many areas of my body. But I knew the Lord Jesus had more for me, and that included my husband and my son. I went into that surgery with “blind faith”. I trusted God to get me through that surgery. I had no idea what was to come afterward.
After a few months of recuperating I went back to work, as a nurse. I was so very thankful everyday for the miracles I had received. This brings us to 8 years ago.
My spinal cord was heavily damaged. The doctors explained to me that the nerve damage and spinal cord damage would continue to progress. They could not tell me how quickly I would reach the point of not walking. But, again, I had faith that God was watching over me.
Over the years I did notice the decline. And more areas of my body were not functioning well. I kept working. I truly enjoyed the work I did. I was not willing to give in. But eventually I had to stop. That was 2007. I could no longer work as a nurse. The nerve pain in my legs became excruciating. I was losing more function of my legs. Then came 2011.
I received news that I could not believe. AGAIN! The spinal cord was once again tethered. This time worse than the first. There was much more scar tissue and the tumor grew larger. By this time it was actually part of the spinal cord. I could not even think. I looked at my husband and felt sick.
My choice was the same as in 1991. Except the surgery had become more widely familiar. And at a closer hospital. Back to the OR I went. Once again surrounded in prayer. Others had the faith for me. They stood in the gap for me and interceded.
The surgery lasted several hours. And I do not remember much of the few days afterward. This time the cord was encased from top to bottom in scar tissue. The nerve roots to my legs were entangled and encased like a baseball. I was heavily sedated for a few days.
When I finally became more alert I was faced with the same scenario all over again. Would I walk again. I was determined. However I came home using a wheelchair and still in severe pain. That neuralgia can be quite intense. But it kept getting worse. It was now 4 weeks from date of surgery. The pain was severe. Then I began with a spinal headache. Back in the hospital I went. It was an obvious spinal fluid leak.
Back to the OR. It wasn’t just a leak. The sac that houses the spinal cord and fluid had ruptured. The nerve roots to my legs blew out through the hole. That explains the severity of the pain. The surgeon had a difficult time repairing the sac. It had become very brittle over the years from the scar tissue. He could not suture it. He had to use a graft and glue it. This set me back several weeks.
Eventually I came back home. Little by little my legs improved enough that I can walk short distances. That is victory to me. I still battle pain and weakness. And several issues with nerve damage to certain organs. But I still have victory. And I still have faith, hope, and trusting my Lord Jesus.
There is another part of this story of 8 years ago. The leukemia was also discovered then. I was convinced they had the wrong patient. However, they were correct. Once again through the grace of God, and many praying people, I maintain my hope in Jesus.
Why did I feel the need to share all of this? Because someone out there needs hope. Someone needs to know that our Lord will carry them through. We all face a tragedy in our lifetime. We all receive devastating news in our lifetime. And we all need help to get through those times. The help of our Lord Jesus. Jesus promises us, we will never walk alone. He is by our side, and He will carry us if so needed. I have been carried by Him many times.
At times our faith may be very little. That's okay.
Matthew 17:20 For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”
You see, Jesus knows our limitations. He knows our weaknesses. That is why He is always with us. We never walk alone.
My friends, I share this with you to encourage you. Whatever you are facing, God will give you the strength to get through. He will give you the grace you need, and the faith you need to go on. Your victory is waiting for you. Don't give up.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
The Peace of God
What does it mean to have the peace of God, in our minds, hearts, spirits? That is a loaded question. I like to think of it as being uni...
-
The new year is here. It is 2019. Wow, that seems surreal. Remember when everyone was fretting over Y2K. Oh my goodness, it was like it'...
-
Do you ever wonder where your strength came from? Especially when we were faced with a very difficult situation or dilemma. After everythi...
-
As Easter approaches we are always more mindful about the cross. Jesus having to carry His own cross down that road. And those roads were...
