It seems so random thinking about it. I was attending Meredith College in Raleigh, NC at the time. Easter Break was approaching. My aunt mentioned something about a revival happening in Florida. People from all over the world were gathering there nightly and many were having transformational experiences. Not only that, they were spending the night in line just to get in. So on a whim, I asked two of my guy friends if they wanted to go on a road trip. Both said yes. So we packed our bags and headed to Florida.

The night before leaving, I decided to go out with my girlfriends. I was not a partier. Until this day, I have only had alcohol a handful of times. That is not to brag or seem self righteous. It is just the facts. I am extra enough without any other influence. 🙋🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️😁 Also, moderation is not my forte unfortunately. But that night, I consumed alcohol…alot of alcohol. I couldn’t really taste the alcohol. So, it was like drinking lots of sweet tea. Yummy right?

While out with the girls, I called my friend that was taking me to Florida. He had asked me to touch base with him. Clearly he could tell I was inebriated. We ended up fighting and I hung up the phone. You know when people had landlines? Seems so ancient now. 😳 Anyway, I ended up getting sick and threw up all night. I had a math test the next morning. I threw up on the way to the test. I couldn’t take the test. So I left and threw up again on the way back to my dorm room. That afternoon my friends picked me up and we headed to Florida. I layed in the back still recovering.

We spent four nights in Florida. Yes, we joined in on the spending the night in line. It seemed to be part of the experience (except I really went back to the hotel to sleep while my friend stayed in line). Best not to lie when you are sharing about Jesus healing you. 😁

The service was unlike any I had attended before. The energy in the room felt full of expectation. During the altar call, I knew I needed to go forward. So I did. It was there where Jesus met me as I knelt down and began weeping. I couldn’t control the tears. It was as though every ounce of what I was holding onto was poured onto the altar through each tear. My heart was broken over an unfortunate circumstance that I had no control over. It was actually hindering me from moving forward. I needed healing in my heart. I needed to forgive. I needed to open my heart and allow Jesus to heal the wound that was keeping me imprisoned. I realized I didn’t have to understand the “why”. He would heal my brokenness and the “why” no longer mattered.

He wasn’t finished! He also healed my physical body. I had tried everything to recover from an eating disorder. Until that moment, I had only temporary success. I didn’t even know what to ask. I just wept. I have no idea how long I remained at the altar. But suddenly the burden was lifted. I sat up and I was different. My mind transformed completely. I no longer talked the same. The lies I had believed for so many years were dispelled and I knew victory occured.

The weight of the heavy burden gone! I was free. I no longer desired to binge or purge. My mind was clear and washed clean. I no longer had the urge to do the behaviors I was enslaved to just hours before. I felt light as a feather. I was healed in that moment!

So why share this now while I continue to battle POTS? First and foremost, I want to tell of the goodness of God. He met me at the altar in the midst of my despair. He healed me from the sin that entangled me and healed my heart while renewing my mind. What seemed impossible became possible in a single moment. As we celebrate Easter tomorrow, I am reminded today that death could not hold Him. I am reminded He walked the earth and was tempted in every way. Yet He did not sin. I am reminded His death allowed ressurection power in my life and anyone else who comes to Him. He was pierced for our transgressions. The weight of our sin was upon Him. How lonely that moment must have been for Him. Yet He prevailed because He knew it was the will of His Father.

Today we too can walk in the fullness of Christ. We are made in His image. If we don’t always feel like we belong, it is because this world is only temporary. The unseen world is far more real than the one we can see before us. Faith is believing in what we can’t yet see. It is believing the word of the Lord even when everything around us seems to tell a different story. There is victory in Christ. There is peace in Christ. There is nothing this world has to offer that compares to Him. He is our healer, our restorer, our refuge, our strength, our everything. We can trust Him. We can celebrate Him not only today, but everyday into eternity.

“For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

“He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24