Miracles

Last week was a special week. I was witness to two miracles from God. It was the week of my medical tests. For the last six years, my health has been one battle after the next. With each year and each test, the results have gotten worse. There are three areas in my body regularly monitored for cancer. Thyroid, kidney, and colon. Last week all three were checked. The thyroid was stable. I am thankful for that but also wasn’t really concerned about it. Now my kidney, for two years we’ve been monitoring it and each exam showed the cyst growing and growing quickly. It had a blood supply and based on every exam up until last Monday, that was the case. Prior to the exam my husband and I were anticipating growth, discussing what we would do, and trying to figure out how we would work in kidney removal surgery into our summer. Fast forward to later that day, reading through the results, and my first little miracle had occurred. The cyst had shrunk. I had to read the results multiple times to make sure I was reading them clearly. But sure enough, it had shrunk! 

Last up was my colon. My colon has been the persistent problem organ. Every year it has had pre-cancerous polyps. Most years double digits. As I met with my doctor before the procedure, he looked at me seriously and said “whatever we find, I’m going to send for additional testing. I know we’ve done your genetic testing and it was negative, but maybe they’ll find something. Some abnormality.” He was prepared as I was on what he would find when he did the exam. As I came out of anesthesia, he looked at me and when I said “How many?”, he looked at me, stunned, and said “none.” I was speechless, thinking I must have heard it wrong as I was still a bit groggy and said to him “Wait. What? None??” He said “I checked. Twice. I couldn’t believe it myself after I went through the first time so checked a second time. There were none. It’s perfectly healthy.” Miracle 2 had just occurred.

Friends, God works in big and small ways. While to some these may not seem like big miracles, to our family they are. Organs that have been problematic and sick have suddenly improved and are healthy, that is a miracle. Getting a three-year break from these exams is a gift. As I asked God what he wanted me to share today, I felt him guide to share what he did last week. To testify of his goodness. That the miracles we see in the bible were not simply for that time. And that God is not floating around somewhere distant watching how our lives play out. God is present. He is active. He is close. He is moving mountains, making ways where none exist, he’s answering prayers and creating miracles. 

I believe in this region we will see far greater miracles than what he did for me last week. But I also want to give him all the glory and gratitude for how he chose to move in our family last week through my health. I don’t know why God chose to heal me now. There are others who are much sicker than I was, others who don’t get healed, others who are praying, and those prayers haven’t been answered the way we’d like them to be. If that’s you, I’m so sorry. God is a mystery and his ways are not our ways. I could never explain, nor would I dare to try, why God heals some of the time and not all of the time. What I do know, had my results not been the miracles they were, if it was confirmed to be cancer and my kidney or colon needed to be removed, it would not change the goodness of who God is or how he loves. 

Whether you believe in Jesus or not, we all know tomorrow is never guaranteed. As I’ve come to know Jesus and build a relationship with him, what I’ve come to understand is that every day he gives me breath, is a day he wants to use me. And more importantly, the day I no longer have breath, I get to be with Him. Friends, I’ve told my kids and my husband, when I’m no longer here, when God chooses for me to be in heaven with him, I will be thrilled. Of course I want to see my children live out their lives, get married and have children of their own. But God is greater than any earthly dream. So how he wants to use me, in sickness and in health, it’s completely up to him and I’m all in. Because with God, no matter what, there is peace that exceeds circumstance. There’s adventure as we hear his voice, step into opportunities he has for us, boldly trust him and offer ourselves to be used by him.

My question to you is this, do you trust God? With all that you are and with all that you face, do you trust him? It’s ok if the answer is no. God knows what’s in your heart. Any worries, fears, resentment, distrust, doubt, anger you may be feeling, God isn’t surprised by it. But he does want to take it from you and lavish his love on you. He wants you to know him intimately, to know you can trust him, that there’s nothing he can’t do, no problem too big or too small for him. And most importantly, that he loves you. So much so he sent his son to die as a sacrifice so you could be reconciled to him. I encourage you, if you don’t feel peace in your heart, if you don’t yet know and trust Jesus, press in. To get to know Jesus more, I encourage you to click here. For those who do know him but still feel he’s distant or you have something unresolved with him, I encourage you to go to him in prayer. Confess all you’re feeling and wait to hear his voice. He will speak to you. He will lavish his love on you. And the peace he will give you, that’s a miracle in and of itself and comes only from Him.

Blessing you with health, hope, peace, and the joy of his presence.