Patience in the Process

"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." 

Galatians 6:9 KJV

"So let us not get tired of doing what is good. 

At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up." 

Galatians 6:9 NLT

Everything is a process, well somethings don't have a long drawn out process, but in all things worth having there is a process that you must go through in order to get to the place that you want to be. I have been able to track alot of my process based on my daughter's growth timeline. She is currently 17  months old and started walking last Saturday. At 17 months everyone would always ask if she was walking yet, because the normal age to start walking is around 12-14 months. But it didn't happen within the normal age range so naturally as a mother you begin to wonder why? You ask doctors, they say that she is fine and when she is ready she will start walking but as a mother I wanted it to happen now; but I had to embrace the process. Like my daughter I too had to learn how to walk all over again after having a limb sparing surgery to save my leg. After being confined to a wheelchair for three months my first steps after surgery were unsteady, slow and only with asistance. Over the months I gradually learned how to walk with a walker, then crutches and then without help. Now a year later I am stronger than ever but still have my challenges. However, the holy spirit revealed to me that the journey is more valuable than the actual destination or goal that we aspire to reach. The learning is done in the practice room before we hit the stage it's not in the moment that we achieve the goal, that we acquire knowledge, or build character and wisdom, its in the process that we learn how to truly live, but more importantly carry out the purpose that God has for us. If she didn't have that time to build her muscles and strength during those 17 months, then when she first attempted to walk she would have callapsed. Anything premature will not last!! It's in the pressing, burning, stretching, and storm that we really discover how to walk. The moment she took her first steps she had built up everything that she needed; all of the courage, confidence, strength and skill for that moment and the moments that would follow. It's not about getting to that moment, it's really about the lifetime that we must live after that moment. So this is for me and so many other people who struggle with being patient in the process! Yes it is hard because we are so busy trying to get to the next level and get relief from the pain or get to walk in our purpose! But it's in the season of struggle, that season of building, that we gain our qualifications for the stage that we are about to take. When you are seasoned enough to walk it out and it's your time you have to be ready!! SO GET READY GET READY GET READY!!!! Be PATIENT in the waiting, LEARN, BUILD, AND GROW!! The best is yet to come!! 

"Ultimate Sacrifice"

As I think about what this good Friday means and I approach the hour that Jesus spirit was released from his body and was commanded into his fathers hands I can't help but to become overwhelmed with a spirit of pure gratitude and thanksgiving. He died that we might live, he suffered that we might shine, and he rose from the dead conquering death. How blessed we are to have someone love us that much even in our sin to lay down his life for us so that we might share in eternal life with him. For he is a healer, a giver, a lover, a friend, a counselor, a provider, and a savior!!!!! He is God all by himself!!

Today I want to thank him for being a healer in my friend Lola Jordan's life for she is nothing short of a walking miracle.  April 3, 2014 she was diagnosed with meningitis that kept her in the hospital for a month experiencing server symptoms of this infection.
Below is her amazing story in her own words and a link if you want to read more about meningitis and its warning signs :)
Today as you reflect on his sacrifice think about how his sacrifice has blessed you :)

Dialogue with Lola:

How did you find out about meningitis?

I found out the night I came to the hospital and they performed the lumbar puncture (spinal tap test). This is the best way to diagnose meningitis.

What symptoms did you have?

Bad headache, nausea, vomiting, and a fever

What obstacles did you face in that month?

The biggest obstacle I faced was feeling helpless, and I was really sick, and I couldn’t do anything about it.

How did you overcome?

I overcame with love, support, and prayers from my family and friends.

How are you now?

I have 100% recovered.

April 2, 2014 was a day I didn’t see coming. It was going to be a long journey for my health. It started as normal day, when suddenly my head began to hurt. I am person that really doesn’t get headaches, but this particular day my head was hurting all day. I went to get food and thought that would make me feel better, but it didn’t. I went to sleep later that night, and started to feel hot and cold at the same time. I couldn’t keep the food down that I had eaten earlier. The next day, April 3, 2014, my dad took me to the hospital and I waited in the emergency for hours. The doctor finally saw me and said the only thing that it could be was meningitis. They performed the lumbar puncture, and it was determined that I did have meningitis. I had no idea that I was going to be in the hospital for almost a month. I got admitted and they started giving me medicine immediately for my symptoms. The first week in the hospital was the toughest, my fever wasn’t going down and I kept vomiting. They kept giving me medicine, but when I took the medicine there side effects. The side effects I got were slurred speech and blurry vision. I also was getting tremors, which mini seizures. It was really rough at this point. I had to do several cat scans and MRI tests to make sure my body was healthy. As time went on, I started getting better. I still couldn’t be released from the hospital yet. I was transferred to the rehab hospital where I had to work with a physical therapist because my body had become so weak being in the hospital for so long. I needed to build that strength back in rehab. I was also working with a speech therapist and making sure my brain activity was normal for a 22 year old. On April 20, 2014, which was Easter, I felt my spirit cry out to God like never before. I watched my church in Chicago online, but I soon as I turned it on, the worship team’s praise was on another level. I felt God speaking to me through that service and of course Pastor Hannah’s message spoke directly to my current situation. I had never been in the hospital on special days like Easter, but this Easter I was. I could not stop crying and I was thinking about how great God was and that his healing power was over me. I remembered that day also of when Jesus was raised from the dead, and he took all my sin to the cross, and when you think about that it brings me to tears. God loves me so much and his love is unconditional. There is no other love like God’s love and that is exactly what I felt on Easter when I was in the hospital. The remaining time I was in the hospital I was resting in God’s love. I was released from the hospital about a week later continued my rehab. I learned so much while I was in the hospital and it taught me to appreciate life a little more and remain humble. I have already overcame a life-changing circumstance was I was 15; I knew I was only going to become stronger. I am thankful, grateful, and blessed for the love, support, and prayers from family and friends. I love you all with my heart, especially Christa for allowing me to share my story. May my story inspire and encourage others.

I dedicate this blog post to my mom who passed away on February 23, 2007.

Love, peace, and light

Lola J.

Special Thank You!!!

My dad

Shayla

Ms. Sonya (Shayla’s Mom)

Ebony

Mrs. Jones(Ebony’s mom)

Mark (Ebony’ stepdad)

Ebony’s aunties (Sandi, Sharon, Pat, and Getta)

Adrienne

Jevita

Marcus

Marcel

Bryant

Jasmine 

Denise

Sara

Justin

Raffinae

Ambra

Ashley O.

Alexus

Brandon

Jeff

Steven

Jordan

Taelyn

Shanequa

Ms. Tolliver (Shanequa’s mom)

Carol (Shanequa’s sister)

Danielle

Janelle

Symone

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/understanding-meningitis-basics

March 18th Life as I knew it changed

"But I am not alone, because the Father is with me. 

I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. 

In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world" 

John 16: 32-33

Yesterday March 18th marked one year after my life changed forever! It was a nerve racking day, a day that would change the course of my entire life, my desires, my needs and my heart for God. After weeks of debilitating pain in my left knee that I though had to do with weight gain from pregnancy it would prove to be something much more serious than I could have ever imagined. Cancer! As the doctors looked me and my family in the face with sympathy he said, you have something called Osteosarcoma. I looked at him for clarity and he proceeded to tell me that Osteosarcoma is a rare form of bone cancer that is generally found in teens who are growing because their bones are shifting. Now I was 24 going on 25 and had been 5 feet for at least 13 years and wasn't growing anytime soon so  I asked why? He explains to me that I am a rare case but it is possible for anyone young or old to be diagnosed with this cancer. The reasoning was unknown beyond Gods yearning desire to use me in a rare way unknown to myself and others, the journey that I was about to take no one could plan for. Lets back track, did I mention that I was eight months pregnant with a beautiful baby girl? The fear of approaching motherhood for the first time while going into cancer treatment was overwhelming but I pulled my boot straps up and decided to fight. I never questioned if I would live or die or if there was a greater purpose for my life because I knew the promises that God had made to me the desires he placed in my heart and the seed he had just blessed me with. That was enough proof for me to have faith in God and believe that I was not just going to survive but  I was going to live and thrive!! Eight months pregnant in a wheelchair and in the most excruciating pain of my life GOD decides to use me. The doctors, nurses and my OBGYN all say that we need to deliver your baby ASAP so that you can start treatment! I take a deep breath look at my family and say okay lets do this and four days later the most beautiful face was looking back at me curled up to my chest and full of everything that I needed. Through this past year my daughter has been the light in my darkest hour the hug that I needed on a hard day and the smile that kept me fighting, kept me hopeful and consistent. She is God's promise, that rainbow at the end of a storm that covenant promise.

One year later I'm stronger, wiser, and happier than ever before, life is worth living and I will never spend another day not living!

So this blog is for you for all my survivors out there who are thriving who are living past your pain your hurt your failures your mistakes and  your health challenges.  Even if you are in the mist of your storm keep fighting, the promise is right around the corner.

"It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you." John 15:16

Stay tuned THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING!!