I had my 3 month post-op appointment with my surgeon this past week in DC, and as part of that, I got a CT scan done a few weeks ago to see the progress of the fusion. It can take up to 6 months for bone to fuse, and I have a bone stimulator that I was going to start using as soon as the tenderness over the surgical site lessened a bit more. My surgeon was thrilled with my progress and couldn’t believe how quickly I had gone back to work, working out and “normal” life, let alone the improvement I have already seen! We then reviewed my CT scan and my surgeon said that the bone is completely fused already, above and below the hardware, both at my skull base and my neck. That it can’t get any better than it is! He asked again how long it had been since surgery…that CT was done at 10 weeks out…and he was utterly amazed! There is nothing our God cannot do!! Whatever you are facing today, put it in the loving hands of our God who loves to heal. And whatever fear you are facing, know that Jesus who came to be our Prince of Peace is eagerly waiting for you turn that fear over to him. There is abundant life waiting on the other side of whatever fear is holding you back from!

2 years ago at this time I was recovering from another big surgery that also came with big risks of complications and the possibility of much healing, and I wrote these words about peace. One of the names of God is the Alpha and the Omega…the Beginning and the End. And who He is…in the middle of it all…is a God who never changes. He is as trustworthy, as faithful, as good, as loving, as merciful, as gracious, as compassionate and as near to us as He has always been, and will always be. Emmanuel…God with us…because of Jesus born in a manger.

From 2 years ago…

It was a big step of faith having this surgery, but I am believing for our BIG God to use it to heal me in BIG ways! I’ve been reading some passages on faith; Hebrews 11 is one of those mega motivational faith passages, and Paul says that, “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.” He then goes on to describe biblical accounts of the superhero’s of Christian faith and says that, “Their weakness was turned to strength”! Then I was looking at the story of Mary, who walked by faith in fulfilling Gods calling on her life, and whose cousin Elizabeth exclaimed about her, “Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” Luke 1:45 NIV

I’ve sought God’s wisdom and guidance through every step of this journey, and through prayer and moments of stillness in God’s presence, He’s led me in which way to go, and then given me peace about each decision. When I’ve thought about what it means to have peace, I’ve conjured a lack of anxiety and a sense of calmness, rest and ease. But only recently did I learn through an advent devotional that the Hebrew word for peace, shalom, means completeness or wholeness. What a revelation this was to me on so many levels! Thinking of my health struggles…of wrestling with a body that so often feels broken into pieces, but the way God steps in over and over again by giving me peace…wholeness! No matter how broken we feel physically, or in spirit, Christ came to earth to be our Prince of Peace…offering us wholeness through a relationship with Him. Jesus was born our Prince of Peace because our broken world is separated from God through sin, but that baby in a manger, wrapped in lamb’s clothes, came so that he could die on a cross, the perfect lamb without a single blemish, to be the ultimate sacrifice for us. Jesus’ birth and death made it possible for us to be complete in God’s sight…whole, not lacking a single thing!

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” James 1:2, 4-5 NIV

Isn’t this the crux of the human struggle…that there is a gaping void in our lives that we try and fill with so many “good” things, avoiding struggle and discomfort as much as possible. Yet it’s in those seasons of adversity that we have a choice to make…keep filling the void with more and more ‘fluff” that is fleeting and will never truly satisfy, or to believe that Jesus is our only Savior, to have faith that He can and will use everything for our good in our life, to keep seeking God’s wisdom through prayer and stillness…and then to watch for an outpouring of PEACE…COMPLETENESS…that will come overflowing into our lives.

This Christmas season I am celebrating and praising my Prince of Peace in a whole new way…because no matter how broken my body may feel, I can stand in His presence with WHOLENESS of spirit, knowing that His plans for me are perfect, He is healing and restoring me in His perfect timing and perfect way, He is working everything for my good, He gives me joy independent from any circumstance, and that one day, when I see Him face to face, every part of me will be made whole for all eternity!