Ups and Downs and Twists and Turns

This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it. – John 11:4

When I first eliminated gluten from my diet, I felt like I was good…I had figured out the cause of my health issues and all was right in my little world. I felt confident in God’s ability and willingness to restore, I had cried out to Him, listened, waited, walked in faith and praised Him for showing me the probable culprit and how to make things right. I was also entering the final semester of school and could begin to see the light at the end of that very long tunnel. Things were looking up.

Mid-way through the school semester, on a sunny fall afternoon, I was running in my neighborhood and took a terrible spill on the asphalt. My face was the first thing to hit the pavement. It was scary and traumatic as I walked home with blood streaming down my face. My face swelled with a scrape along my left cheekbone and under my eye, my lip was busted, I had scrapes on one shoulder and both knees. I prayed for swift healing and no scars. It was in the healing process from the fall where I saw a glimpse of the healing power of whole foods. The Green Pharmacy Guide to Healing Foods (James A. Duke) was my resource for how to heal cuts and bruises and alleviate inflammation. For a full week I loaded up on pineapple, strawberries, oranges, spinach, thyme, garlic, pomegranate, green leafy vegetables, onions, apples and applied calendula gel liberally several times a day. Within a week the bruising and scrapes were healed.

Although the healing was swift, this was the beginning of a series of stressful events. I had one class at school that consumed nearly every second of my thoughts and time…every week was filled with new projects and assignments and my grandfather was admitted to the hospital at the end of October and passed into eternity just before Christmas. It was a busy season for our entire family. I was struggling to rise early and spend time in God’s word, I felt overwhelmed and as though I was barely hanging on. The reality of finishing my degree and what that would mean…working full-time in a career that I wasn’t created for…was beginning to sink in. Looking back I see God was holding me in His word even more so than I realized at the time. I prayed: Your river of gladness/joy flows for me and I will not be moved, for You will help me (Psalm 46:4), Your mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23), I will be still and know that You are God (Psalm 46:10), You are faithful to deliver on Your promises (1 Kings 8:24). The hand of God was holding me close. Praise Him!

By the end of 2009, I was at the end of myself. I could scarcely see the next step in the wilderness place, but somehow I knew He was refining me for His glory. I needed to get closer to Jesus so that He could move me. I needed more fellowship with other believers who could pray with me and confirm His leading. I was mentally, emotionally, physically stretched and stressed and my health was beginning to regress. I began having some digestive issues, missing menstrual periods, I felt completely exhausted most of the time and the worst part…my face was breaking out with acne like never before. I thought I had been healed by adopting a gluten-free diet, but the fullness of healing was delayed. As 2010 began, I was hopeful for a new and better year, with fewer bumps and bruises, but this truth from John 11:4 stood out to me: When God delays we can be certain that He has a better plan in mind…that He may be glorified in the situation and that our faith may be strengthened.