On Tuesday, January 27, 2009, I delivered a healthy baby boy via c-section a month early due to pre-eclampsia. On Friday, I was discharged from the Labor and Delivery unit. By 9:00 a.m. Sunday morning, less than 2 days later, I was back in the hospital due to a severe headache and a sick feeling all over my body. I remember the drive to the hospital on that cold Sunday morning. I told my husband that I felt God had a purpose for me at the hospital we were headed to. I did not know what His purpose was, but I knew that He would reveal it to me in His time.
While in the Emergency Room, I found out that my pre-eclampsia, a form of high blood pressure that can occur during pregnancy, had gotten worse and was beginning to affect my liver. My blood pressures were in the 200s/100s and my liver enzymes were elevated. Pre-eclampsia, if not treated, will lead to seizures and will result in kidney and liver failure. While waiting to be admitted into the hospital, I felt the pain and discomfort in my body getting worse. I found my focus switching from God’s purpose for me toward my physical pain.
I was soon taken to a room in the Labor and Delivery unit. As I was being transferred from the stretcher into the bed of my assigned room, I noticed the cross on the wall. I was filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. My focus was re-directed from my physical pain back to God’s purpose for me there. I began to reflect on the cross and what it meant to me. It was at that moment that I realized that the most important piece of equipment in that hospital room was the cross on the wall. Nothing I experience in this life will ever compare to the sacrifice that Jesus made for me on the cross. God would deliver me so I could “proclaim what the Lord had done” (Psalm 118:17, NIV).
God put it in my heart to witness to and share copies of my written testimony with everyone who entered my room that week. So I did. From doctors, nurses, and lab technicians to the housekeeping and food service staff, I handed out more than 50 copies of my testimony throughout the course of the week. It resulted in many spiritual conversations. One life was saved, others encouraged. My life, extremely blessed. I was overwhelmed with emotion that God used little ordinary me to do something extraordinary. I am a sinner who falls short of God’s glory, but He faithfully pours His love and grace on me daily. God will use anyone who makes himself/herself available to Him and is obedient to His will.
God does not want us to get comfortable in our faith. "Whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow" (James 1:2-3, NIV). He will use our weaknesses for His purpose, for “His power is perfect in our weakness…when we are weak, we are strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10, NIV).
We are all sinners who fall short of God’s glory, but His love for us is unconditional and it “endures forever” (Psalm100:5, NIV). Make no mistake, GOD LOVES YOU right where you are. Even in your suffering; especially in your suffering. Do not be discouraged, for "the Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deuteronomy 31:8, NIV). God knows you personally, He knows your circumstances, and He will deliver you. Ask Go into your heart and trust Him with your every need. He is faithful and He will deliver you from evil and set you free.
While in the Emergency Room, I found out that my pre-eclampsia, a form of high blood pressure that can occur during pregnancy, had gotten worse and was beginning to affect my liver. My blood pressures were in the 200s/100s and my liver enzymes were elevated. Pre-eclampsia, if not treated, will lead to seizures and will result in kidney and liver failure. While waiting to be admitted into the hospital, I felt the pain and discomfort in my body getting worse. I found my focus switching from God’s purpose for me toward my physical pain.
I was soon taken to a room in the Labor and Delivery unit. As I was being transferred from the stretcher into the bed of my assigned room, I noticed the cross on the wall. I was filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. My focus was re-directed from my physical pain back to God’s purpose for me there. I began to reflect on the cross and what it meant to me. It was at that moment that I realized that the most important piece of equipment in that hospital room was the cross on the wall. Nothing I experience in this life will ever compare to the sacrifice that Jesus made for me on the cross. God would deliver me so I could “proclaim what the Lord had done” (Psalm 118:17, NIV).
God put it in my heart to witness to and share copies of my written testimony with everyone who entered my room that week. So I did. From doctors, nurses, and lab technicians to the housekeeping and food service staff, I handed out more than 50 copies of my testimony throughout the course of the week. It resulted in many spiritual conversations. One life was saved, others encouraged. My life, extremely blessed. I was overwhelmed with emotion that God used little ordinary me to do something extraordinary. I am a sinner who falls short of God’s glory, but He faithfully pours His love and grace on me daily. God will use anyone who makes himself/herself available to Him and is obedient to His will.
God does not want us to get comfortable in our faith. "Whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow" (James 1:2-3, NIV). He will use our weaknesses for His purpose, for “His power is perfect in our weakness…when we are weak, we are strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10, NIV).
We are all sinners who fall short of God’s glory, but His love for us is unconditional and it “endures forever” (Psalm100:5, NIV). Make no mistake, GOD LOVES YOU right where you are. Even in your suffering; especially in your suffering. Do not be discouraged, for "the Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deuteronomy 31:8, NIV). God knows you personally, He knows your circumstances, and He will deliver you. Ask Go into your heart and trust Him with your every need. He is faithful and He will deliver you from evil and set you free.
Dear Lord, thank you for the sacrifice you made for me on the cross. Please keep me mindful that nothing I experience in this life will ever compare to the sacrifice you made for me on the cross. Thank you for being such a loving, faithful and forgiving God. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
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