As a Christian Mom, this was heartbreaking to hear my child utter. I remember looking at my child last night and smiling, while on the inside, my heart was breaking. Normally, it would have been extremely difficult to answer – not impossible – but difficult. But last night… I had an answer... which was confirmed today by the doctor. I have experienced a real-life miracle!

So, how do I KNOW God is real? Here’s how…

Today’s lesson in “Becoming the Woman God Wants Me to Be” was about prayer – and how healing can come through prayers, those ones that are offered in FAITH! The very first sentence that I read in today’s lesson was a Bible verse which said:

And the prayer offered in faith
will make the sick person well;
the Lord will raise him up.
~ James 5:15

I read it and wrote in my notes… “COINCIDENCE? I think NOT!“

If you don’t know me and have not read about my struggles over the past 7 years, you might be a little lost with what I have written so far… so let me go back to explain.

Seven years ago, I woke up one morning and could not get out of bed. I hurt everywhere. It hurt to breathe… I think it even hurt to blink. I thought I had the flu, except two weeks went by and I did not get any better. After a number of trips to the family doctor and a lot of blood tests, it was revealed through an ANA Test that something was wrong. They told me it appeared that I could have lupus or some other disorder and I was referred to a rheumatologist. More blood work revealed that my inflammation was off the chart and my Rheumatoid Factor indicated that I did indeed have Rheumatoid Arthritis. So, we got to quick work with DANGEROUS medications to suppress my immune system. There were a variety of ups and downs over the past seven years; there were even times when my inflammation level was low and I felt great. However, the rheumatoid factor was always there. Once it shows up once, it stays forever, is what the doctors said. I had no hope… or I would have had no hope… but I knew God and I knew He could heal me if it was His will and when the time was right. However…It is easy for you to lose faith and want to quit hoping for your miracle. In the past year, I had resigned myself to the notion that healing was not part of God’s plan for me and I worked towards accepting that my life would be full of pain and suffering and deformed joints and NASTY medications that made me sick. I knew God had a reason for this suffering. I just didn’t know what it was yet. I felt the need to reach out to others with RA and try to encourage them and support them in any way possible. I created a website and a Facebook page in order to accomplish this. I was the RA Warrior Mom.

This past summer, my conditioned worsened. I quickly found myself in a wheelchair, unable to walk on my own, with my children doing the pushing when they were able. Beaten down, degraded, embarrassed, and hopeless – that is how it was. The rheumatologist handed me prescription after prescription, none of which made any difference at all. She tried steroid shots – no results. She sent me to physical therapy – I plateaued after 10 weeks and was told I needed to work on developing a fitness plan for my condition as it would not be likely to improve. I was close to giving up… but not quite. My loving family and friends – many from facebook – encouraged me to get a second opinion. So, I made plans to do that, but had to wait two months for the appointment. Appointment time came – with more bloodwork (49 separate tests), x-rays of my hands and feet, and a round of prednisone. Two weeks later was my follow-up appointment — that was yesterday.

Yesterday, October 30, 2012, is the day that I left the rheumatology office shaking my head and not quite knowing where I was or what was going on. You see, the rheumatologist told me to seek a THIRD OPINION because she could not treat me for RA. This was because ALL my lab work came back NORMAL. All the x-rays of my hands and feet (which after 7 years of RA should have shown significant damage) came back NORMAL. My Rheumatoid Factor… the one that “Once it shows up once, it stays forever” – was NORMAL. NO inflammation – NO damage – NO Rheumatoid Factor. It was as if I NEVER had RA – Ever! Was this a miracle? Could it be? Had I had the divine healing hand and intervention of God? Me??? Who was beginning to doubt? ME who was ready to give up? I had to be sure so I called our trusted family doctor and got an appointment for TODAY – first thing in the morning.

Last night… It was last night that my youngest daughter asked, “Mommy, How do we know that God is real?” It was last night that – although still unsure and scared to accept that I may have experienced a miracle – I told my daughter, with her expectant eyes and sweet little face: “I know God is real because I had RA and now I don’t. The bloodwork showed RA 7 years ago and now it doesn’t. I should have had damage in my hands and feet and there is none. The ONLY answer that makes sense is that I have been healed by GOD. THAT is how I know that God is real.” She replied with a hug. No words. Just a hug a smile and she ran off on her happy way. Last night, my daughter learned that God is real and today… today I learned that BIG MIRACLES are real – REALLY REALLY REAL!

Today, I went to the family doctor to get his opinion – my third opinion. I shared with him what happened at the rheumatologist and handed him the lab results I was given yesterday. He looked at the papers — he looked at me — me looked at my husband — back at the papers — then at the computer screen — then at me, and with a look of shock and happiness and bewilderment he said, “Let’s get you off of those nasty medications. No need for RA drugs when you don’t have RA.” We talked some more and I even verified what I had heard about the Rheumatoid Factor – about it always being there once it appeared. He said that was true about the RA Factor and then he said “Praise God” – my doctor made it clear to me in that moment exactly what has happened. I received supernatural healing, from God’s hands. There is NO other explanation for how the Rheumatoid Factor disappeared and how all my bloodwork was now normal. AND I HAVE SCIENTIFIC PROOF TO DOCUMENT IT!!! How often does that happen?

So to my little one – the answer I gave last night was correct. I can stand tall today and shout from this blog and all of social media and my ROOFTOP that: GOD IS REAL! PRAYERS BACKED BY FAITH ARE POWERFUL! AND MIRACLES DO HAPPEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you Father for being faithful to me. Thank you Father for hearing my prayers and the prayers of those who stood in the gap to pray for me. Thank you Father for the amazing gift of Life and for GIVING ME MY LIFE BACK from the evil grasp that RA had on it! Today I am FREE! Rejoice with me today!