3
EVIDENCE EVENTS.
There are certainly many
times in my life when God made it a point for me to know His hand is
in and on my life, but there are three significant times He made sure
substantial truths were revealed to me: 1) Our spirit lives beyond
our physical body, 2) He’s always watching over us, and 3) His love
for us is profound, profound enough for Him to visit us, in person.
If you find yourself at a crossroads of faith at this time, I hope my
experiences shared
here are
helpful for you.
Our
spirit lives beyond our physical body. When
I was nine, I was resting on my knees on a chair at the dining table
while my mom put rollers in my hair. She got to the last two and I
complained my head hurt. She said she was almost finished, but the
pain became unbearable. I turned my head to the left, thinking that
might relieve the pressure and pain. The world went dark. The next
thing I was aware of was that I was floating near the ceiling, above
my dad’s chair in the adjoining den. I could hear my parents, but
couldn’t see them for the wall that covered half the room. I was so
peaceful, and not at all perplexed about where I was. But, I could
hear the concern in my parents’ voices and thought, “I don’t
know why they’re so upset. I’m fine.” I saw my mom grab her
purse, and my dad, who was carrying my body, as they raced to the
door. My mother said, “I hope we can get her to the hospital in
time.” My thought was, “I don’t want to go to the hospital. I
need to let them know I’m okay.” As soon as I had that thought, I
zoomed
back into my body. I opened my eyes and smiled at my dad. Revealing
something about how long I’ve been on the planet, doctors still
made house calls. Our family physician examined
me. I remember sitting in a chair and smiling like a fool and
not wanting to speak—because
I was still in a state of bliss and contentment. All that happened
afterwards is insignificant. God wanted me to know and remember
always that we continue after we leave our body.
He’s
always watching over us. When
I was twelve, a family
from out of town visited
with us for a few days.
It was summer—scorching
hot. My dad arranged
with a motel,
to let us use their
pool for a few hours. I honestly don’t recall the trigger event,
but still clearly recall the moment I realized I was drowning. I
started to feel panicked, because I couldn’t stop what was
happening. I thought, “No one knows I’m drowning. I don’t know
how long it will be before they realize I’ve died.”
As soon as I had that thought—and I can still see them clearly
in my memory—two angels, one on either side, took my arms and
zipped me to the surface. Not only did they lift me out of the water,
they turned me
around and placed my arms on the side of the pool. I coughed up
water for several
moments, got my breathing nearly back to normal then turned to see
who was watching. No one was. My parents,
the other parents,
and their children had no idea what had happened. But God made
certain I knew He was always watching. And because it wasn’t my
time to leave this
life, and because He
wanted me to remember this truth, He sent supernatural
help.
His
love for us is profound, profound enough for Him to visit us, in
person. I was sixteen, sitting cross-legged on my bed, reading The
Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
(first book of The
Chronicles of Narnia).
I’d just read the part where Aslan gave his life to save Edward,
where he allowed the witch and her followers to humiliate him (and
believe they’d won), and where the witch killed him. I began to
weep, sob really, because of course, this was meant to represent
Jesus and the sacrifice He made to ransom us from Satan (and
ourselves). I was ashamed of my flaws (even though at that age I had
yet to do even more in my life to displease God). I was genuinely
distraught. I said to God, “How can you love me when I’m so
imperfect?” Then I became aware of God holding me like a small
child in his arms. He cradled me to Him and poured His love into me.
I was also aware that my mom walked by my open door. I was sure she’d
see and hear me sobbing, but she didn’t. And I knew that although
God held me in His arms, what my mother saw was me reading quietly on
my bed. His visitation was for my awareness only.
Interestingly,
I’ve seldom
shared my out-of-body experience, that I’d been saved by God’s
angels from drowning, or that God paid me a visit. I don’t know
why, other than perhaps God had a different timing in mind, which
apparently
is now. And despite how extraordinary these moments were, I took
detours away from God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit—many detours I’ve
asked and received His forgiveness for (like calling Him the Universe
and other names not His; like doubting Jesus ever existed (score one,
temporarily, for Satan); like buying into Satan’s deceit via
metaphysics and the
occult more times than
I wish I had to admit); like
forgetting all three of these significant
events until God
decided it was time for me to remember them.
God let me take those detours because
He knew I’d learn from them.
However, He also took me off those and other detours whenever it was
time. He let me carry on as I had been until a few months ago, when
He nudged me and said, “It’s time to get into a serious
relationship with Me.”
He
had another revelation for me at the start of my returning to Him
(and I’m sure it isn’t the last one). I’ve always felt deep
appreciation for God’s wisdom, having witnessed it in my life so
often. But one night, while speaking with Him, He asked me a
question: “Do you trust My love as much as you trust My wisdom?”
He asked that, already knowing the answer—I didn’t—and He knew
why. So, we’ve been working on this since then. My Father, Jesus,
and the Holy Spirit are leading me forward. They know me,
so They’re directing me in ways that work for me. But I also feel
the need for speed, as the saying goes. Perhaps you’ve been
receiving your own nudges from the Holy Spirit. If so,
if you won’t heed it
now, when? If you’re
getting one or more nudges, it’s because you’re loved...because
He wants to share His promises with
you now
and in His kingdom.
I
pray that whether His light is a flicker or a tiny flame inside you,
that you reach for His ever
outstretched hand. Ask for His flame of the Way, the Truth, and the
Life be increased
within you. Let Him
lead you. Yield to Him, even if, like me, in some ways you’re still
afraid of what this might mean—how you might have to change, and
how others may be discomfited by this.
I
claim that the sacred blood of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the
perfect Lamb of God our Father, who came to earth in the flesh and
sacrificed Himself on the cross at Golgotha for the remission of our
sins and our salvation, and rose on the third day to ensure our
resurrection, covers you and your loved ones with His protection, and
cleanses, restores, renews, and strengthens you.
May
God’s extraordinary blessings of His love, wisdom, grace, mercy,
care, comfort, guidance, and patience cover you and your loved ones,
and I pray that He strengthens all of us to express these blessings
to others as freely as
He expresses them to us.
I pray that He gives us
a discerning heart so that we are no longer deceived by others or
ourselves, but hear and follow only the voice of our true Shepherd,
Jesus Christ. Amen.
