I have put the Lord first in all things I do because He has done so many things in my life. My health as a child was not the best. When I was born, I weighed 3 lbs., 10 oz. In the year of 1955, at a month old, I came in contact with a person who had whooping cough, pneumonia and a high fever. I was taken to the hospital to see Dr. Sutton, the after-hour physician, who told my family to call the undertaker because there was no heartbeat. My Granny said, “Everyone start praying.” My Grandaddy asked Dr. Sutton if he could work with the tubes that were connected to my body. Dr. Sutton said, “Yes, I’ve done all I can do.” While everyone else was praying, my Grandaddy pulled on the tubes and mucus started coming out. Dr. Sutton said, “Look at him, it looks as if he was milking a cow.” (By the way, my Granddaddy had cows and goats he milked every day.) Miraculously, they found a faint heartbeat. I stayed in the hospital for three months in a coma. During this time, I began to have seizures.
My grandparents were the first to tell me about Jesus. I kept my eyes on God’s Word as I grew older. My Granny always comes to mind when bad things happen because she always prayed for me. I would call her on the phone and she would say, “I pray for you baby girl!” I was in my 20s by this time. She would say “You pray also and God will help you find your way to go. Granny loves you and Jesus loves you too.” She would tell me to “keep God first in all things,” and I have because God has BIG plans for me.
In 1969 I was 14 years old, and I accepted Jesus as my Savior and was baptized. As I got older my seizures became worse. I became disabled in 1978. This was when Psalm 121 came into my life. The seizures were called grand mal and I was having a lot of them. They could not find medication that would work. I could not clean house or take a bath without someone with me. I never drove a car. I lived in a dream world. The only thing I had in my life was God. God was my means of survival. Because of the seizures I could not attend school. I have very little education, but I kept my eyes on God’s Word. I will stand firm in the Lord and keep His Word until He comes. He is my Guardian and Caretaker. My Granny was my mentor in my life. I loved hearing her pray for all of her family. The LORD is your keeper. The LORD is your shade, at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night.
God is preserving us like this; with His love, care and protection in our life. It is a reminder that we are valued, guided and sustained by a higher power — God’s power.
On October 16, 1996, I had brain surgery. Afterward, I was like a person that had a stroke on my left side. I could not hold liquid in my mouth and it would run out as fast as I put it in. I could not speak normally. But by the grace of God, I was talking plainly by January 1997. I was still under a doctor’s care until 1998. I went back to school to finish my education and to learn how to drive a car and work with handicapped children. I didn’t want to have anyone take care of me but I wanted to take care of others. I became a CNA in 1999.
Here is something to think about: We preserve fruit every year to enjoy all year by canning or freezing. We add sugar to prevent spoilage and extend shelf life. On the other hand — God is preserving us with open arms. God always amazes me by always being here with us. With God by our side, we always win! “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23) Through His power to preserve, I want everyone to see Jesus’s life in me.
Finally, consider the power of Psalm 121 to uplift our lives. Look up to the hills … and recognize that help comes from the LORD, our Creator of Heaven and Earth. It is a great reminder of God’s presence and provision in our lives — even today. God gives us help and strength and He is always available to us.