Some pictures came up in my news feed this week. The day those pictures were taken I was in a lot of pain. I really wanted to go to the fair and enjoy the day with my boys, but felt like I couldn’t leave home for a long period of time for many health reasons. I had to think about how long we would be out and take some medicine so that I would be semi okay while watching my boys be excited over what they would see. I remember feeling a little down because I wished pains and symptoms would go away so I could truly enjoy the day not just an hour or two.
One thing I have loved about the church Travis and I attend is that once you become a member they assign you an elder who takes care of you and makes sure your family is okay. We have been assigned different elders throughout the years and some of them have offered to drop off meals for us when I was having a bad day with pain and was low on energy, they have come and prayed with us at our house, asked us for weekly prayer requests and have become good friends. I am so thankful for each one of them!!! As well at our church the pastors and elders meet every Monday night and pray together over the members of the church. They have a time where if you have a need you can go in and they will pray for you. Our elder’s wife at the time was praying for me. I shared with her that I felt like I wore a mask. When I was depressed I wore a mask of fake happiness and with my disease I wore a mask of healthiness. I had learned to live with the pain, but it was starting to wear on me a little more. Travis was amazing with it all and if he knew I was in too much pain to stand would always offer to make dinner and help me out. I am so thankful for a husband who understands my illness!
Shortly after the day this picture was taken our elder’s wife asked me if I would be willing to go and pray with the elders and pastors on a Monday night. I felt extremely weird about it and went in lacking faith for sure. I thought I will get prayed for and I do believe God can heal, but I have had this chronic issue most of my life and it will probably still be there after this. I went and shared what was happening in my life with the elders and pastors. The head pastor anointed me with oil and they all laid hands on me and prayed for me.
“Is anyone among you sick? 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” (James 5:14).
They prayed for healing over me and I can still remember some of the beautiful prayers that they said. They reminded me I was a precious daughter of the King and prayed my body would be healed.
To make this short after that day things changed. At first it was different symptoms fading and my mornings not being so bad and then the pains started getting less and less. I wasn’t having to take extra strength tylenol as much and my body seemed different. I can’t explain it, but I felt a change in my body. I remember thinking, “Wow Bettina, you woman of little faith. You went for prayer and thought it couldn’t happen and yet your God is big and can do powerful things.” It made me learn a lot!! I got pregnant again which shocked Trav and I at how fast it all happened because we had been told that I probably would never be able to have kids because of my illness. Now Jacek is almost two years old and I can say that my symptoms and the pains have changed drastically to the point that they are pretty much gone. Obviously no fairs, circuses, rodeos, shows are coming to town any time soon because of the current pandemic, but I am so grateful that I don’t have to worry about going out and being in extreme pain and that I can enjoy more things with my boys. You could say the change in my health is because I am getting older, or because I got pregnant with Jacek, or maybe just luck but I know there is a great God who can heal if he chooses and I believe he chose to heal me when the pastors and elders prayed over me. Maybe not completely, but I know in His time I will be healed that way and I am perfectly fine waiting for that. I know healing here on earth doesn’t happen to everyone. Only God can see the big picture of it all but even if my pains and symptoms come back full strength again I am thankful for this time God has showed me what life without intense pain is and I’m thankful for the strength I have had. Even if it does all come back I know that one day I will be in a place with absolutely no pain and that will be a glorious day.
“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).
