So you know a little bit about who I am, I grew up in a Christian household. I went to church almost every Sunday and couldn’t stand it. I saw it as a social event and I wanted nothing of it. Now, I always knew that there was a God, but I did not ask Him into my heart. I also had a Bible (my grandfather’s) and always took care of it, but I never read it. In fact, whenever I saw a football game on TV and the camera went to the crowd to show the signs, I always thought it was stupid that someone would create a sign that only said, “John 3:16.” What did that mean?
My life centered around me, myself, and I. When I was 15, I began to exercise regularly. I went from a 90lb weakling to 135lbs of muscle. By the time I was 20, I was 175-180lbs of solid muscle. I was also pretty smart. I had a nice motorcycle, a great sports car, and everything going for me. I felt that if I could not solve something mentally, then for sure I could solve it physically. I was on top of the world or so I thought.
And then one night about 2AM in the morning I was watching this movie about the crucifixion of Jesus. The scene that really bothered me was when the Jews called for a murderer named Barabbas to be released instead of Jesus. I wondered why would they do that? Later on that morning, I asked my parents who Barabbas was, but they couldn’t tell me. So, I delved into my bible for the first time, but had idea where to look. Fortunately for me, I also had a small Gideon’s New Testament I had picked up somewhere.
Well, I got convicted and I asked Jesus into my heart that day.
Two weeks later, I was now in the most excruciating pain I had ever experienced. The pain was all over my body. I couldn’t hold anything down in my stomach. When I went to the bathroom, it was bloody water. I was admitted to a hospital. Within three weeks, I went from 180lbs of solid muscle to 90lbs of skin and bones. I was transferred to the premier hospital of the Army, Walter Reed Army Medical Center. I knew if I caught a cold, if would be the end of my life. Everyone expected me to curse God, hate the world, and then die. I mean, it wasn’t fair what was happening to me, was it? But instead of hate, I felt the greatest love and peace I had ever experienced in my whole life.
In fact, one day when my condition had improved somewhat, I was sitting outside in a patio area at the hospital reading the New Testament. A middle aged lady walked by and then came back and said, “Excuse me, your face is glowing. I was wondering what you are reading.” I was then able to share with her the love of Christ and help her through a tough time in her life.
Now, what was wrong with me? The doctors said I had the worst case of Chron’s/Colitis disease they had ever seen. They wanted to cut out all my intestines and replace them with plastic! I was told I would never be able to handle any stress and I would pretty much be a vegetable the rest of my life. The doctors’ had me at doses of up to 120 milligrams of Prednisone steroid a day for almost a year. Anyone that knows anything about Prednisone knows you only want to be on it a few days and then no more than 20 milligrams otherwise it can cause more harm than good.
Well, I refused to get the operation. I just knew God was going to get me better. He got me better enough to be able to go home with my parents about a month later. For the next year, I was in and out of hospitals. At one point, I had to get an emergency temporary colostomy because my colon was about to burst. The doctors’ said it was a miracle it hadn’t burst before I got to the hospital. They also told me that the temporary colostomy was going to be permanent because where I had it, well, it just doesn’t get reversed. I told them God was going to heal me and I would be ok. Three months later, to their astonishment, I was better and they put me 100% back together. I still wasn’t healed, but I was better.
During this year in and out of hospitals, I spent the time reading and rereading my Bible. About 18 months after this ordeal began, I kept on coming back to a couple of verses in the bible, James 5:14-15 “(14) Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: (15) And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.”
I am not going to lie, I felt embarrassed, but I believed the bible to be true, so I went to my Pastor about it. My Pastor called in some godly men of the church and told them about my situation and the book of James. We read the verses and discussed what was about to happen. I humbly got down on my knees, the Pastor anointed my head with oil, and then prayed over me followed by each elder. I felt nervous, but I believed and I knew God had healed me even though I didn't feel any different. From that moment forward, I never took any more medicine.
I later joined the Army and was the operations officer of the largest battalion (a unit of over 1,000 people) in the 82nd Airborne Division filling a position 2 pay grades higher than my rank. I was also a Jumpmaster (person in charge of paratroopers jumping out of airplanes) and served in combat twice. But remember, I couldn’t handle stress! With God leading me, however, all things are possible. Now, 30 years later, I am still healthy and serving God.
Have I fallen along the way? You bet and more than I care to admit. But we have an awesome and mighty God that forgives and rebuilds us if we humble our hearts. That is my story and the encouragement of God is what I want to share with you in order that we might each grow in our walk with Christ everyday and be an encouragement for one another.
