The Healing
To be honest, I have missed many ground balls in my eight years of playing softball. I knew if I was about to miss the ball, it was better to stay in front it than go chasing it into the outfield. But as soon as this one bounced up and hit me in the jaw I knew something had moved. In weeks to come my jaw would lock while I was eating, pop almost every time it opened too wide, and be sore as I woke up each morning.
An appointment with the oral and facial surgeon confirmed that the cartilage had been displaced when I took that softball to the face and surgery was needed to correct it.
Senior year of high school the pain increased, and a second MRI showed the cartilage had now almost completely dissolved. Additionally, the disintegration of my lower jaw caused it to begin running into my airway. The doctor explained that I was practically breathing through a straw instead of a garden hose.
I was also thrilled to find out (please take note of the sarcasm) that even though I was faithful in wearing my post-middle-school-braces-retainer for the past five years, I would be required to go into my freshman year of college with braces to prep my bite for a total jaw joint replacement surgery. Oh! And I would be in them for 6 months after the summer surgery. Haha, I was overjoyed.
Second semester of freshman year came, the braces had been on for four months now, the final cat scan had been done, the custom titanium jaw joints were being made, and my summer was planned around the surgery that would take place the first week of June and the 6-week-recovery that would follow.
Regardless of what was to come, every service, every altar call, every prayer for healing I was there. For three years I prayed. For three years I believed I would be healed whether supernaturally or through surgery. February 28th, 2018 I was healed. I took a deep breath in and felt my disintegrating jaw move forward. I was supernaturally healed!
Now I got to wait a month between the healing and the next doctors appointment, which would determine whether or not I had been healed or still required surgery. Within that month is when I took the step of faith to sell t-shirts to raise money for a missions trip that I would only be able to take part in if I did not need the surgery. God opened door after door to share my testimony and He continued to increase my faith with every new opportunity He presented me.
The Sunday before I would go home for this appointment I felt my stomach drop at the thought of the doctor saying I still needed surgery. For the past month I had told my story, sold t-shirts, and raised money, all in faith of a healing that I didn't even have a doctor's confirmation of. This appointment seemed like the moment of truth.
On Thursday, March 29th I sat in the orthodontists' chair and anxiously told the doctor what had happened. He calmly took it all in and discussed all the options with us. After discussing, we all agreed on the same conclusion: I would not be needing surgery this summer. In that moment, all the anxiety that had build up within me over this appointment was replaced with a super-natural peace of the healing God had done.
Today was another milestone along this journey! Today the braces came off! The annoying pieces of metal that should be on for seven more months are no longer needed along with the surgery previously scheduled for next week!
God is so good!
"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hebrews 11:6
He just asks for faith, and when you have the faith to believe in what He does in your life He will be faithful to allow you to see your miracle come to fruition. His timing was perfect. The opportunities to share my story, the doctor that is working with me now, the people that have helped me along this journey, the t-shirts, the money raised for missions all would not be there if the healing had not happened in His perfect timing. Have faith in His power to do the miraculous, trust in His timing, and watch Him reward you as you earnestly seek after your Creator.