Christ Still Heals

 

Recently, after watching an episode of The Chosen, my dad talked to me about some things that I had actually been pondering for the last few months. In the particular episode we watched, the Savior healed a leaper and a man who had been paralyzed since birth. By healing these people, along with so many others throughout His ministry, the Savior was showing His power and His glory. Ultimately, He was showing who He was, The Son of God.

Since Christ has already come to earth and has shown His power and His glory, are we denied healing because He isn’t here in person to heal us? Of course not! While the Savior might not be on this earth physically, His power is still here. Any worthy male of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, who holds the Melchizedek Priesthood, has the right to use Christ’s power to heal, if it is in accordance with the will of our Heavenly Father.

Over five and a half years ago, I was given a blessing of healing. The words of the blessing gave me comfort and I knew that the pain I was experiencing would go away. The pain didn’t go away. Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, and the pain still wasn’t gone. Not only was I experiencing pain, but it was getting worse and I didn’t know why, and my doctors didn’t know why. I was frustrated and didn’t understand why I hadn’t been healed. I had had faith that I would be healed, and I had felt that healing me was the will of the Father. So why wasn’t I healed? This question has been on my mind quite often for the last five years. It wasn’t that long ago that I finally got an answer.

I wasn’t healed immediately when I was given that first blessing of healing, because my Heavenly Father knew I needed to go through the experiences I did in order for me to grow and become the person He needed me to be. I needed to go through some of the most heart wrenching experiences so I could help others. I needed to experience them so I would know more of what my Savior went through. I needed to go through them so I could testify that both our Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ, are always right there with us and that they are in the details of our lives. I needed to go through what I did so I would know how strong I really am and how much stronger I could be with the help of my Savior. I needed to experience what I did so I would know how real and powerful the Atonement of Jesus Christ is.

Five years after receiving a blessing of healing, it finally happened. Anybody who knows what I’ve been through in the last five years, knows that I’ve had quite the challenge to get back on my feet and walking again. I am happy to say that I can walk, and what’s even better is that I can walk without the help or need of a cane or crutch to help keep my balance. I have had to work hard and push through pain and discouragement every day to get this far. I wear a brace that provides support for my foot and leg. I was strongly opposed to this brace in the beginning but now I love it. It has made such a difference in my walking ability and I will be forever grateful for the tech who recommended this particular brace for my needs. He was definitely inspired! Over the last year not only has my walking improved but so has my balance. I still struggle with staying upright, especially if it is dark, but I have come so far. I keep making improvements almost on a daily basis. There are things that just a month or so ago I couldn’t do and now I can. I may not be fully healed but in my eyes, I am healed. Everything is a work in progress, and I am willing to do whatever it takes to get to where I want to be. I have come to accept that there are certain things that I will just struggle with for the rest of my life, and I’m perfectly fine with that. The fact that I have and am still making progress is all that matters.

I will forever be grateful to my Heavenly Father for not healing me that Sunday in 2015. I am so grateful for the experiences I went through and the lessons they have taught me. I have seen miracles in my life, and I wouldn’t have experienced them without going through what I did. I can testify that Heavenly Father is in the details of our lives. I know that He loves us so much and wants what is best for us, and sometimes what is best for us, requires us to go through some pretty hard challenges. We are given trials for a reason, and if we will allow it, we can learn and grow so much from the things we experience and endure. I know that the Savior is always right there beside us. He is our advocate with the Father. We can trust Him! I love my Savior and know that I wouldn’t be here without Him.

WARNING: SOME OF THE FOLLOWING IMAGES ARE A LITTLE INTENSE, SO VIEW AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.

 

 

                                  What my foot looked like before having any surgery.

Taylor Spatial Frame. I wore this frame for 3 1/2 months as it straightened out my foot.                      More surgery was required after I got out of it to keep my foot straight.

With my foot turning in due to a stroke and a tethered spinal cord, along with loosing the feeling in my left leg and foot, a part of the bottom of my foot died, which left me with this, an open sore. It took 2 months of wearing a Wound Vac 24/7, 79 hyperbaric oxygen therapy treatments, lots of collagen dressing added to the wound, a couple of grafts, and six months being off of it to heal. Normally this would have hurt like crazy but thanks to no feeling, it didn't hurt at all.

This is the brace I wear every day and it has done wonders in my ability to walk!

After sores on my ankle, the bottom of my foot, and one toe, a frame for 3 1/2 months, being in a wheelchair for 19 months, crutches for another year, a fracture in my Talus (one of the ankle bones) and a 2mm collapse of the same bone, my foot is now as straight as it can be. Getting to this point has been a journey!