Fear Should Not Be An Option
Braveandlove is a blog written by Christy Johnson, who is the wife of a young pastor in Los Angeles! They felt the Lord calling them to start a church, and it has been incredible to follow along (borderline obsessively listening to their podcasts... no shame) as He has guided their steps the whole way.
Christy's blog is full of so much goodness. Everything from her recipes, stories from her family's journey of learning how to be fearless, to her clothing line, seeps excellence in every way. I am continually encouraged by them, and I hope you are encouraged by this story from her blog as well!
Stay tuned, because we will be featuring more delight from Brave&Love soon!!! (:
Kim
Relentless Creative Director
Nothing can stop us
I can pinpoint from the very moment we announced the start of Fearlessla, we have experienced an onslaught of circumstances that have caused us to make a decision….am I going to respond in fear or faith? This week our family faced one of the most terrifying experiences of our life that put fear and faith to the test.
We were at a birthday party for our little nephew Zion. During the party, Lyric walked up to me and told me she wasn't feeling well and she seemed very lethargic. All her friends were there, a bounce house, tons of food, so I knew when she said this something was up. I took her inside, checked her temperature and she had fever. Immediately we gave her some tylenol and then decided it would be best to take her home. Both my kids had been sick for about a month now and I was so worn out physically…I just knew that the enemy was attacking us with infirmity in our household and I was just over it! We secured all the kids in the car and were on our way. As we were driving, we turned around to check on Lyric and she was bluish in color, unresponsive, and her eyes were open gazing into the ceiling of our car. I jumped into the back of the car and grabbed her out of the seat and tried to get her to come out of whatever was happening. Nothing…no change, continued to turn even bluer in color, and I didn’t know if she was getting any oxygen at all. I started to yell and pray at the top of my lungs and began to take authority over sickness and death. In the panic of the moment, Jeremy misplaced his phone that was navigating us to the nearest hospital. He began to ask God to somehow lead us to an emergency room. One minute later we drive up to one, and later realized that if he wouldn't have lost his phone, it would have taken us to a location that would have not been able to treat her.
Jeremy scooped her up in his arms, ran into the emergency room and began to scream for help for our little girl. Immediately a team began to get her vitals. Her oxygen was very low so they began to give her oxygen. I frantically asked them what was happening to my little girl. They explained that she had a febrile seizure which happens when there is a spike in fever. An ambulance transferred her to the hospital for further tests to figure out the reason for her fever. It was a long day of grueling and painful tests, IV’s, and exams. And thank the Lord, the results were nothing serious. It was an ear infection and bronchitis that caused the fever. By the end of the night, Lyric was dancing in the room, laughing with the doctors and didn't even remember any of the traumatic experiences of the day.
But…I remember….Jeremy remembers…it’s something we will NEVER forget. It is seared in our memory. Everyday I have to choose, will I respond in fear, or will I trust that you have given me this little girl and you will take care of her. Will I allow His perfect love to quiet my fears, or my fear to disrupt and destroy my faith and joy.
I love this scripture in Jeremiah 41:10
“Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”
When I truly internalize these words, my body and mind responds in rest and peace. And when I don’t, I feel the same exact way as I did before, tormented by my own thoughts. I DO NOT have to be afraid about anything, He is not leaving me! He is strengthening me for ever single challenge that comes my way. In fact, it’s these challenges that allow me to trust Him even greater. For if I never had a problem. If I had never had to worry. I’d never know what faith in God could do.
I just want to thank each and every person that prayed and reached out to us during this time. I especially want to thank Toby and Kristen Bowker. The day that this happened to our daughter they text us and told us they would drop everything to come and help us.. Some of the most selfless and caring people Jeremy and I know. Below is a picture of their daughter Bella Grace. Toby and Kristen were told by doctors that she has a rare disease Aicardi Syndrome, causing a specific part of their daughter’s brain to be extremely under-developed. As a result doctors say she will never have the capability to respond to verbal commands and at her worst Bella has had seizures every 90 minutes all day long. Bella has taken huge strides and with a new medication they have seen a 50% decrease in her seizures! She was told she wouldn’t see, but she sees. Doctors say she wont smile, laugh, crawl, walk, run, and play. But thank God doctors don’t have the final say! Will you believe with me for complete healing for Bella Grace?
This family could use your help to raise funds that will allow them to continue pursing a miracle healing for their precious daughter Bella. To read more about her story, go to http://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/pursuing-a-miracle-for-bella-grace/251382 or click on the picture.
My heart goes out to all the parents who have children would suffer on a daily basis or deal with a disability. If you have a prayer request, please comment below. Let’s all come together and agree for complete healing in every situation and challenge.