I have been extremely blessed to grow up in a loving, Christian home where my faith is very encouraged. While I grew up in a Christian home, I never had a personal relationship until I was older! I came to know Christ as my Lord and Savior when I was 9 at Kanakuk Camp, and that’s when it really hit me what Hehad done for me. That’s when I started following Christ daily, but it wasn’t until He placed me in the midst of a trial that I fully trusted Him with all of my life.
I had never really experienced any trials or extremely difficult times until about a year ago. Right at the beginning of the 2015 summer I started experiencing some health issues that I had no control over, it was simply something I was born with. For a couple of weeks prior to my diagnosis we had no idea what was going on. We just knew that there was a problem with my Thyriod and I was getting all sorts of tests and scans. In late June my church goes to camp revolution kind of as a rechargeing and bonding experience for the middle school and high school and I had been looking forward to it up until my Thyriod issues started. We still had no idea what was going on, and I was assuming the worst. In that week, I really opened up about what was going on in my life and I was surrounded with love and support. People were praying for me and loving on me during a scary time and that was all that I needed. When I got back home I found out that it was a cyst on my Thyriod that had been forming since I was born and I would need surgery to remove it. When my mom called me and told me that they would have to cut open my neck and I would likely have a surgical scar for a good portion of my life I broke down.
I wasn’t mad at God, but I was frustrated. My picture of my life never included serious surgery at the age of 17 and a red surgical scar in the middle of my neck. But that’s when I realized that it is not my plan that matters. God had another plan for me, and it brought me closer to Him. He showed me how to trust Him in the midst of scary trials, and how to love who I am and how God created me. The morning of my surgery I was at peace because I knew that God was working in my life in ways that I couldn’t see.
Now it’s has been almost exactly a year and I am thankful for health, a loving church family, and a comforting God. The Lord reminds me daily to “Be still and know” He is in control.