Convinced: Part 2

A few months ago I wrote a blog about healing. I explained that while there are things that may cause me to question or fret, there is one thing of which I am sure. Way down deep in my gut I know...I am CONVINCED that God is a healer.

I said that I was just waiting for another story to add to my treasure chest of ways that God has proven Himself...

I prayed along with hundreds of others for Summer to be healed of the cancer that overtook her body. Summer wasn't healed in the way so many wanted her to be. She went to sing with Jesus in October. In the months since her death, women from all over the country have posted on her Facebook wall and reached out to her family and friends. Women who never knew Summer personally have gained strength in their own battles from the faith she displayed. People tempted to blame God when bad things happen have gained hope and turned to Jesus because they saw so much love in her response to her own pain. When I think of the lives changed forever because of Summer, I'm still CONVINCED.

On Nov. 5, I looked at David and said through tears, "I literally wish it was me. I would take her place to spare her this pain." See, of all my girlfriends, Tania is the sweetest. I have friends who are tough, snarky, smart and bold, but Tania has a calming tenderness about her. If your friends say something about you, Tania gives me hope that there's something soft in the midst of all my rough edges. After carrying her baby girl to term, Tania never got to hold her in her arms while she lived. Lilly Claire died during delivery. But Tania did hold her. And so did her daddy. And they held each other. The day before Lilly's funeral, Tania's husband Bob emailed me these words: Inside my heart I fell to my knees, I just pulled her to my chest and sobbed uncontrollably. It was terrible and beautiful all at the same time. I have never been more proud of my champion wife; I have never been more in love, I have never been more committed to my God and my bride. Lilly never had to hurt in the ways they predicted she might, and thousands of people have watched Bob and Tania deal honestly with the pain of her loss.  When I consider how many people have seen faith under pressure and trusted Jesus a little more, I'm still CONVINCED.

Last year Janay joined my family to celebrate July 4th by my parents' pool in Oklahoma. We swam, we ate and we laughed. But in the midst of the fun was a sadness we couldn't deny. It was that day that Janay was supposed to give birth to the baby she miscarried. After months of doctor appointments and the news that her chances of ever conceiving were slim, she and Maurice decided to forego any further fertility treatments. Janay had to fully let go of her dream to embrace God's plan for her - no matter what it may look like. Today, she wrote about the new baby they are expecting - the very same week that her baby would have been born last year. When I think of how this July 4th celebration will be different than last, I'm still CONVINCED.

I'm convinced that God heals according to His will. I'm convinced that He is able to do more than I can even think to ask. I was, I am, I'm still...CONVINCED.

And don't be surprised if you hear a loud sound sometime around the first of July. It's not fireworks. I'm just praising God as I welcome my new niece or nephew into the world.