The God Chronicles Part 5: God, the Healer

I first got an inkling that something was wrong with me, after a troubling romantic episode. My theory was a build up of stress, capped by an overload of negative emotions broke down my typically strong bodily constitution.

A colleague noticed I had a lump in my neck and asked that I check it out. Thus began a 2 year process of injections and drugs. So much so, I would eventually have to teach a colleague how to administer the injections for when work required us to travel out-of-station. And I got a doctor's note to travel with packets of tablets when going out of the country. But, this blog post isn't about me. It's also not about having to deal with a dad who suffered a broken leg, then hypertension then a stroke. It's really about what happened 2 years later.

My mom, the solid rock and Amazon, became afflicted with a strange illness. For some reason, it robbed her of the ability to talk, move much or respond to external stimuli. Doctors proffered disparate diagnosis and a subsequent litany of drug prescriptions. Now, as anyone knows, when you're on a diet of drugs without a clear diagnosis; in their trial-and-error fashion, the drugs begin to wreck havoc to your body and mind.

As you can imagine, confusion, trepidation and uncertainty gripped my family. Should she be hospitalised? Should a resident nurse be hired, as 24hr care was required? Would my dad be able to handle the pressure as he was also dealing with serious health issues? How would we handle the financial pressure of a condition that seemed to have no time frame?

In the midst of the uncertainty, my family chose to appeal to God, the Healer. I think at some point in everyone's life, we come face-to-face with God's promises and take the frightening step of attempting to believe them. It isn't everyone who grows up with a natural faith in God. Some develop a personal relationship with him late in life and take tentative steps to develop trust in his word.

In trusting God to heal my mum, my family came together to fast and pray. I've never been the type to fast. But, I've come to understand that beyond being a symbol of humility (and for some, a way to impose serenity on fleshy passions), fasting can also be a seed.

Sowing is self-imposed deprivation towards a cause. So when you fast, you deprive yourself of culinary treats as a function of humility and demonstration of faith (an expectation of something you're believing in). I may be wrong, but when you have nothing else to give, fasting can become a seed. (This is my opinion).

My family fasted and prayed. (Afterall what else could we do and who else could we turn to?) Coming together to pray binds a family in a common cause. (However, I still dislike the routine morning and evening prayers families engage in. Growing up in a religious family turned me off them for life).

We trusted God because we had taken a pledge to give our lives to him and so, we expected him to take care of us and intervene in our troubling circumstances.

2 weeks later, I witnessed a bona fide miracle on Christmas day. My mom who wasn't talking or moving much, was up, dressed in finery, made up and sitting in the parlour waiting to go to church. In the following weeks, she would rally and make a remarkable recovery. Needless to say, i now believe in miracles.

As i look back on The God Chronicles, i am amazed by how far God has brought me and how much he longs to develop a relationship with humanity; how much he desires to be involved in our daily lives & thoughts and how much he wants to direct us to achieve his purpose.

The purpose of the Chronicles was to try to capture in some measure the little i've come to know about God and to express my heart to him and the people around me. I hope it's provided you with a glimpse.

As always, i would love to hear from you. I'm @subomiplumptre on Twitter or you can send a mail to subomiplumptre@yahoo.com. You can also join the conversation at #ShoSpeaks.