Healing of my Hands

Hey Friends,

This is Odie reporting in again from Waynesville, Ohio. Did you read my Dad's post from yesterday? If you missed it I encourage you to stop right now go back and read it. It is definitely encouraging! I am so thankful that we can look back and see where God has brought us from. We are not always going to be in this trial.

I really did not know what I should write on this week. I kept waiting for something interesting to pop up and I found my inspiration at church Thursday night. Dad mentioned something in his preaching at Dryden Rd. that I think about quite often, but I do not know if I have ever written about it specifically on the blog. 

You may remember that I was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy around the age of two. My brain does not send the correct signals to my muscles for me to be able to walk. I count it a blessing that I am mainly affected in the areas from my knees down. I am able to go about life with minimal difficulties. 

I am continuing to pray for a complete miracle, but I can look back over my life and see many little miracles that have made life easier for me. They are like building blocks that have contributed to the strength of my faith. Each small miracle teaches me to believe God for even greater things. 

I want to give you a little background on the first miracle that I remember. My hands were affected by the cerebral palsy when I was younger. I could not button even a big button or tie my shoes. In fact, I struggled to do most ordinary tasks with my hands. As a child I did not realize how much that struggle could affect my entire life.  

In the spring of 1991 I was five years old. Our family was evangelizing and we were attending a camp meeting in Kissimmee, Florida. During a day service of the meeting they had a prayer line. The night speaker of the meeting stopped the service and took about 20 minutes to explain faith to me and read scriptures to me about faith and healing. Some might have thought it was crazy for him to stop the day service to talk to a five-year-old girl and it was definitely unusual. However, that service changed my life! After talking to me, they prayed for me and we went on with life as we lived it. 

The next week I sitting in my Dad's lap at our friend's home in Tennessee. Without realizing what I was doing I completely unbuttoned the little buttons on my Dad's shirt. When he tells this in his preaching Dad always says I unbuttoned his shirt right in front of God and everybody! 

I will never forget Dad looking down and saying "ODIE what are you doing?" Then he realized I was able to do what I could not do before and he sad, "ODIE look what you have done!" From that moment until now I have been able to use my fingers and hands to do many tasks that I would not have been able to do on my own before. 

I am sitting here 25 years later typing this post on my phone. I have tears streaming down my face and a thankful heart that God healed my hands in 1991!! The fact that I can use my hands and fingers has made my life so much easier. 

As a five-year-old girl I wanted God to heal me so that I could run and play with the other kids. I did not realize exactly what God was already doing for me then. For years I have thanked Him for that amazing miracle!! I want to Praise God for being so good to me even as a child!! I am truly blessed!

In closing here is a photo I am looking at right now. This picture was taken in the spring of 1990, so around a year before I received healing in my hands. I remember this day and loving this yellow dress.  I  had my heart set on a yellow dress for Easter. 

 

Odie