About three years ago I was diagnosed with celiac disease- an autoimmune disease for which the only cure is to avoid eating gluten.
Or trusting a really big God.
The night before we left Atlanta for India, I felt God telling me to leave all of my emotional baggage there. A big struggle of mine has always been self-image. And not just an “oh I’m having a bad hair day” kind of insecurity. I’m talking eating disorder that completely controls my thoughts and life kind of struggle.
So I listened. I took out my cosmetic bag and threw out my hair straightener. For those of you who know me, that is a huge deal because I have the world’s wackiest curly hair without it. But I knew that in order to grow I had to be stretched, and who better to do the stretching than my maker?
Last night we were out doing ministry in a small village where Jesus was doing some pretty cool things. A woman with cataracts walked away with clear eyes after two of my teammates prayed for her and people all around us were so excited to hear the good news we had to share. After all of this was over we were served a meal specially prepared for us as the guests- spicy chicken wrapped in a flour tortilla. My eyes got really big and a look of panic spread across my face; I didn’t want to insult our hosts but I also knew that being polite would lead to days of being sick from gluten. My teammates saw my look and stopped to pray for me before we ate that I would be healed.
As the meal went on, our host continued to serve me tortilla after tortilla. All I could think between small talk was ‘God I sure hope you know what you’re doing’.
But seriously, who was I kidding? Of course he knew what he was doing. We’re talking about the same dude who created the entire universe and all things in it. What’s a little celiac to him?
When we got in our van to go home my stomach was in so much pain and I could only think of the ill night ahead of me. Sliding into the car one of my teammates asked me how I was feeling and prayed again for healing. That was when I really believed it, too. I took God out of the safe little box that I had grown to put him in. The great physician has called us to live, trust, and love boldly and outrageously, and onceI began doing just that I felt a whole new presence of him in me. I knew that God could heal me, and I thanked him for his healing power. In that moment I felt my stomach pain rush out of me as a voice said to me “because you left your struggles with me in Atlanta, I am leaving behind your celiac in India”.
C’mon guys. HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD?! There truly is power in the name of Jesus.
In the part of India that we are in the people speak the language of Telegu and greet one another with ‘wandanalu’;’praise the Lord’. So give thanks to the Lord with me, for he is so so good, and his love truly endures forever.
