There is a rumor going around about the race. Rumor has it that girls have a strong likelihood of gaining weight. Upon hearing this rumor, I told myself that I was not going to be one of these girls. (Mind you this is easier said then done.)
Due to not being around gyms for the next year, I figured that running would be my best option for staying fit. This had me worried. First, I wasn’t in the best shape. Second, I had extensive knee surgery during my senior year of high school. Since then, I have been trying other forms of exercise that would not be so tough on my joints. Long story short…I was not exactly thrilled about the thought of running as my form of exercise. However, my determination to stay healthy was greater than my opinion about the matter.
While in Panama, I went running with some of my teammates. It was/is so helpful to have someone hold me accountable in this area. At first, things started out fantastic. I was a little sore here and there but I figured it was just a good sore. As time went on and I continued running, I noticed that my knee was starting to cause me problems. It didn’t feel extremely stable as I would run. However, being due to my stubborness, I was not going to let that stop me from working out. I still continued to run through the pain.
After awhile, this pain not only came when I was running but the instability was occurring when I would just be walking. I decided to let my pride subside and I would lay off working out for a bit. I did this thinking that my knee would then feel better. The opposite actually happened. My knee felt the most unstable it has been since I could remember post surgery.
This reality frustrated me and I was also frustrated with God. I am 25 years old and I couldn’t do things, even the simplest of things, due to my knee. I also thought if my knee didn’t get better, I feared that I would not be able to experience the race to it’s fullest potential. I was not okay with this.
I began praying for God to heal me. I’m going to be real here…if I was being completely honest, I was really doubting in His ability to heal me physically. I was extremely embarrassed to tell my team about my knee struggles. I had the feeling that I had to have it all together and I did not want to seem weak. I ended up never telling them about it while we were in Panama.
While on the bus ride to Costa Rica, I felt this nagging to tell the squad mate I was sitting with on the bus about what was really going on. I explained to him what God had told me to do and that I hadn’t told anyone else about my knee reality. The conversation ended with him telling me that I needed to share what was happening with the squad. I thought he was crazy and I didn’t want to bother people with my petty issues. He told me that this is what a squad does for people in all situations. God can do crazy things when people come together in prayer. Little did I know how true this fact actually was.
At our squad discussion that night people were sharing various thoughts about the message that Renee had shared along with where they would like to see our squad going throughout the race. There was a lull in the conversation. Renee asked if there was anything else that people wanted to share. This was my opportune moment. My mind was racing with the thought of whether I should share or not when I got a look for my squad mate on the bus. I knew that if I didn’t speak for myself then he was going to call me out on it. I just couldn’t let that happen.
I stood up in front of the whole squad and told them what was going on and asked them to pray for me. Without any hesitation they all said yes and they started coming over to lay hands on me and on my knee. As people began praying I noticed that my knee was getting hot. My first thought was, “Awesome, people are going to be touching my sweaty leg.” Then I realized that my knee was not getting sweaty due to the heat, it was getting hot because The Lord was healing me in that moment. Along with the hotness, I felt as if my knee was getting stronger like it was being reformed. Needless to say, my mind was blown. I have heard of physical healing in others but now God was healing MY body! The verse below rang true in this moment.
James 5:16 “…pray for one another that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
After these last two months I can attest that my knee is healed. I have been able to workout by running and doing Insanity with limited or zero knee problems. The biggest blessing however was last month in Nicaragua. My team was placed in the mountains at a Young Life camp. All month we were going to be doing intense physical labor; like helping to carry 500 pound poles intense. As I heard about this I didn’t think that I was going to be able to hang due to my lack of experience and knee problems. Again, God proved me wrong. I kept up with the entire group and held my own with zero knee problems.
I would have not been able to do what I did in Nicaragua if God had not healed me. I can gratefully say that we serve a God who answers prayers and who heals us even today.
