Spoiler alert: At the end of this blog, I have a video of my friend Mimi walking unassisted for the first time in almost two years.
Now, I’ve read blogs by World Racers about miraculous healings they’ve witnessed on the race, and I hoped that I would see a miracle or two (or more!) around the world. Little did I know, God was going to show me a miracle before I even stepped out of New Jersey.
Let me introduce you to my friend Mimi. I could write pages and pages about Mimi, and I hope that someday somebody does, because the stories that Mimi tells about what God’s done in her life will stir your heart to greater faith and bigger praise. This is just one story of many.
Mimi and I met over 10 years ago when we were youth leaders together. At the time, she was having multiple seizures daily. Since we’ve met, Mimi’s been married, healed from her seizures, had a beautiful son (who she almost miscarried), was widowed, and then fought breast cancer. I haven’t even gotten into what her life was like before I met her. Like I told you, she’s got stories.
Two years ago, when she was going through chemo, her seizures started up again. She fell at the hospital, and due to nerve damage from a disc herniation, she could no longer feel her left leg. A special brace was made to help her walk. Without the brace, she wasn’t able to support herself and she would need a wheelchair. This past February, her brace broke as she was going down the stairs, causing more damage. Recent tests showed that there was now nerve damage in both legs and it seemed likely that her ankles would be paralyzed for the rest of her life. She was using both her brace and a walker; but, eventually it seemed she would be wheelchair bound.
This isn’t a sad story. “Of course,” you’re thinking, “this isn’t a sad story because she gets healed.” But see, even if I stopped writing right here, Mimi’s story is a happy one. Why? Because Mimi has showed me, and so many others, that God is good, he is faithful, and he can be trusted. Even when faced with the prospect of being in a wheelchair for the rest of her life, Mimi pressed on to be joyful when facing despair. And as I’ve known her, the darkness of despair has faded in the light of her joy-filled spirit. Mimi’s no superhero- I’ve seen her sad, I’ve seen her angry, I’ve seen her scared. But, I’ve also seen her time and again give those feelings over to Jesus. And each time, he’s been faithful to carry her through in love to a whole new place. You’ll never meet anyone braver or stronger- but that’s because his grace is sufficient for her, his power is made perfect in her weakness (2 Cor. 12:9). If she’s brave, she’s brave because of Jesus. If she’s strong, she’s strong because of Jesus.
Make no mistake about it, that’s the real miracle.
Now, let me tell you about Sunday. Actually, the story starts on Saturday, with an angelic encounter that Mimi had along with her son and my friends Kristen and Alicia. For real. (Because I wasn’t there, you can read Kristen's blog about it here.) Sunday night, we visited a local house of prayer to share with some of our friends there the story from Saturday along with some other awesome stuff that God’s been doing. We went to God’s house to praise him and encourage each other with stories about how good he is!
As Alicia, Kristen, and I were sharing all the good things that have been going on, Mimi was in another room. One of the women who was there later told Mimi that she felt God tell her to pray for Mimi when Mimi entered the room, and then the woman’s hands started to burn. And so she started praying, along with her husband, and others that were there. We soon entered the room, saw what God was up to, and joined right in.
Let me stop right here: We’ve prayed for Mimi’s healing a lot. In the past, it always felt like Mimi would eventually be healed. Sometimes doubts would creep in- not my doubts that God could heal Mimi (of course he could), but my doubts that it was his will to do so. (After all, so many have been blessed because of God’s visible faithful love through Mimi’s life.) But, Sunday night felt different. It was impossible for me to doubt God’s will in that moment. It was time. And it was amazing.
After a little while, Mimi started to move her feet. We took off her brace, and she started getting sensation in her legs and moving her toes.
And then she stood up.
And then she walked.
It was amazing because God is amazing. Not once did you hear someone say, “Mimi, you can do it,” because it was clearly all about God and what he, and he alone, was doing. Praise him!
I posted the picture right then on facebook of Mimi’s empty wheelchair and then realized that my iPod touch could take video (ha, I probably should’ve realized that sooner, but, I could barely think straight I was so excited!)… so, this is the second stretch that Mimi walked. When you see the video, you’ll see her wheelchair about halfway through- she had already walked from the wheelchair to the alter, and the video is of her walking from the alter to the back of the room. When everybody lets go, you are watching Mimi’s first unassisted steps in almost two years. Of course, Jesus is holding her all the way…
At the end of the video, her bewildered face breaks out with a smile as her son comes over to give her a hug, afterwards running away yelling, “Mommy walked!!!”
Praise God, she’s been walking with him all along.
P.S. For anyone who’s wondering, Mimi’s steps have been getting stronger by the day, and she’s walking much better now than you see here… I can’t wait to someday post a video of her dancing!!!
