Faith in Daily Life

As I reflect on how I am Engaged with God in a Living Faith, it is clear I need to tell my story.

I am a believer of telling God the true desires of my heart and have learned that I must listen for His answer. I have faith that God knows what is best for me. I do this ‘telling’ and ‘listening’ in my personal relationship with God during our discussions (prayer.)

Over a year ago, my daughter became deathly ill, a result of immunodeficiency related to her Multiple Sclerosis. A year ago I was in despair, devastated. Forlorn. Weeping. This is where I was, who I was. The strong, positive, can-do woman, who rarely shed a tear, was in a realization of disease and disability of my loved one, and I felt I couldn’t ‘do’ a thing about it.

The tears were short-lived; I reached deep to my faith in God. I prayed for His will to be done. I asked for Him to lead me, help me ‘do’ all I could humanly do to help our girl. I also prayed for Him to help me accept the outcome, no matter what it was. I had faith. I trusted God was leading, and I would follow. In a matter of two months, I received conflicting scientific medical advice – conventional medicine saying her condition could not be helped; and Northwestern in Chicago who said they definitely would help her. I know I wanted to believe the one that said they would help our child. To whom would you turn to help you decide which advice to take?

I looked to God, through prayer (sharing with Him my true desire of my heart,) asking Him to help me to decipher the conflicting human messages I was getting. I listened. Experts from Northwestern gave me proof of their success. The doctors and nurses here in MN were open to listen to the doctors and nurses in Chicago. They concurred that a stem cell procedure was the only option that could halt Multiple Sclerosis and give our daughter her health back. The reality that this procedure was not covered by insurance, the costs of a 2-3 month stay in Illinois, and needing childcare here in MN for my grandchildren seemed ominous. But, possible. God led us this far.

Then, just for the asking, my home filled with friends and family… a team - on a mission to raise funds for this transplant and the related costs. They met weekly. Then, a simple request to the president of my daughter’s insurance company, along with our ‘story’, resulted in an authorization for the transplant cost. The fundraising continued. The relocation and living costs were raised. An angel my grandchildren love offered to watch them while we were gone to Chicago. So here we are, 3½ months post transplant, and our daughter’s vision, physical strength, immune system, mobility and sensation are back!

God granted this miracle. If you walk with God, in a Living Faith, God will give you what God wants to give you… and you will have peace knowing it is His will, not ours. Know God intimately. He wants to hear from you.