1 Cor 13, 13 „And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; …“
Faith. Have it, know about it. Love? Already heard of it. I can also feel love towards others. Sometimes even for myself. … But the third thing, what was it again? … Hope? … It is the name of my church. But where can I find hope in my life?
There are everyday things I am having hope for. I am having hope that the ICE runs on time. I am having hope that the air conditioning will be working at the ICE also at 90 °F and more. I am even having hope that next week I would not need to stay at the office beyond 5 p.m..
When it comes to the things that are really a burden – and I mean that literally – then I had lost hope. Lost the hope my Heavenly Father is interested in these things and wants to help me. What I mean by that exactly? Those who know me closer, know that I have for a very long time to deal with a significant overweight.
In „peak times“ I carried the weight of three medium-sized people with me. In a phase of hope a the equivalent of a small people vanished. However, it is still the volume and mass of a great man yet, which separates me from „normal“ weight. Now, when so much weight could disappear in a hopeful time, so one should assume that this is enough motivation to persevere. Right or wrong? Right! How then could all hope left me so easily?
Three years ago, I had a bad accident and afterwards could crawl along. It took almost a year before I could walk straight again. It was exhausting and robbed me of a lot of spiritual strength. Somehow, I came back to strength. Even bought an extra sustainable bicycle. Enthusiastically I rode to work and back twice a week. I felt good and motivated. Then my bike was stolen. Motivation and power disappeared together with the bike.
The next year, I bought a new bike. Only once I drove it to work and back home. A few days later I wanted to buy something in a supermarket on the way home, about two bus stops from home. When I got out of the seat at the end of the bus, I already knew, there was something fishy. No sooner had I put the left foot first on the sidewalk, all muscles through the entire left leg popped. With last strength I dragged myself to the bench at the bus stop.
My friend Karl had been home from work – thank God – and picked me up with his car. The next day I went to the doctor. He sent me for venous ultrasound, because he wanted to rule out thrombosis. In spirit, I rejected this thrombosis. Nevertheless, anxiety and panic rose hugely in my heart. Afraid to end up in a wheelchair. And other nonsense. I was glad that the doctors could find nothing critical while scanning. But it did not change a thing, I was still afraid.
In the next twelve months it felt like the would not get any better. Toward the end, the pain was so bad that I no longer managed going to work without painkillers. On many days after work it was so bad, that I took a taxi home, instead going by subway and bus. Meanwhile, there are taxi drivers, whom I no longer have to tell where I want to go to. Funny and sad at the same time.
In my heart I was sure for about half a year, that the pain was not physical. Something spiritual had to be behind it. But all faith and prayer for healing with various brothers and sisters in Christ did not seem to help. The pain remained. The more intense and full of faith, I prayed, the worse pain became. … Noticed something? … Although I had faith that God still heals today, but I had no hope of improvement for me personally.
In an interesting way our Father in Heaven brought me in contact with a loving couple from England, who were serving for decades in the healing and deliverance ministry. We talked and prayed together via Skype.
They did not know anything about me and began to ask the right questions and taught me some things that I did not know about healing prayer. For example, in order to effectively pray for healing, when the disease is associated with a traumatic event (eg, the panic after the strain), the memory of the traumatic experience needs to be broken in prayer. As long as the memory of the trauma is still there, there is not a place for healing. (There is scientific prove body cells can memorize even traumatic events. Just google or bing or yahoo it.)
Already after the first prayer with the couple from England, I could do without painkillers. Although I was not pain-free, but the level of pain was bearable. In the following weeks, God revealed other traumatic events: an experience of sexual abuse in teen age, mental abuse by doctors (thinness in the late 70s and the 80s, normal weight in kg = Height in cm – 100-15%), calorie counting trauma (do not laugh please, that’s really serious).
When I was around 18 to 20 years old, I had an almost normal weight. Looked pretty good. Was sporting. But in my heart the lie that I was fat had set deep roots already. I developed over the years a deep hopelessness, not being able to ever reach a normal weight. To make matters worse I fell into depression in the fall of 1992, which lasted until the winter of 2003. (Since I have invited Jesus as my Savior, Lord and King on the 4th Advent 2003, I am free from depression.)
These issues we worked on for several weekly prayers. Broke trauma, forgave people (if not already done), separated myself from lies I believed, … and much more.
For five weeks now I have not used any pain killers. Since 2 weeks I’m virtually painless. Slowly coming back into gear. And I hope that I will reach a normal weight. I even hope that some of the kilos will vanish supernaturally fast. Simply because God loves me.
Observable and measurable: my food consumption has been reduced by one-third to one half, without counting calories or else. I just cannot swallow as much anymore. Although this is different each day (third or half), but remains reduced.
I know that I cannot take credit for any of the good changes. I am firmly convinced, I could not have succeeded without the help of God. I am thanking my Abba in heaven for all the people who accompany me on this path and He has added into my life.
Faith, love and hope. All three are now back in my life alive.