A Friend Who Travails

Miracles Still Happen

The last few months for me have really been a great lesson about the depths of friendship...what truly defines a friendship, and what friendship is NOT--and the vast world between the two.

I have friends that I know pray for me all time. They even tell me so and I appreciate that because it is easy to forget sometimes that the war is not with flesh and blood and I have warriors watching my back!

I don't minimize those prayers at all...but if you were to ask me if I had a friend that would LITERALLY give up a whole night of sleep to truly war in prayer for me, to stand guard in prayer through the third watch of the night...I don't know that I could have so easily answered that one...until today.

Some of you may already know about our recent trip to the ER after completely losing my ability to walk. I began limping for no apparent reason last Friday. I had not injured my leg in any way. By Monday I was completely unable to walk. The pain was more than excruciating. They gave me Morphine at the ER that could not even touch the pain. The diagnosis was that I had a flare up of Lyme Arthritis. It was not known if this would be a temporary or permanent problem as Lyme Arthritis can be permanently crippling. Tuesday the pain was no better, in fact much worse. At this point genuine fear had set in and gripped my heart.

The sudden reality of what I could not do was a wake up call for me! I had to make arrangements for other people to get my kids to and from school. Brad took off work so that he could pick Chris up across town after his ROTC training, after already being up for over 24 hours since he had stayed with me at the ER the night before. Brad also was making runs to the pharmacy and getting the kids something to eat for dinner...and suddenly I realized this situation was going from bad to worse before my eyes. My husband HAD to be able to sleep or he would injure himself! Battling his own case of Lyme, stress is not good for an immune system that is in high alert! At that point I felt it was time to ask for help...I needed to find a wheel chair so I could at least function on some level around the house.

I spent all of Tuesday in bed alternating ice packs and heating pads...and by bed time still had no relief. The pain meds only took the edge off but was far from "working" to relieve the pain. I spent the night tossing and turning, the pain made it too hard to get comfortable. Eventually morning came. I sat on the side of bed, and for the first time I realized I had not yelped in pain as I rolled over. I reached for the crutch a friend had loaned me and steadied myself as I stood up...no pain. I took a few steps with the crutch...no pain. I put the crutch down and walked into the bathroom...no pain. I walked into the livingroom where my daughter was getting ready for school and I held both hands in the air..."Look...no crutches!" Cheers came from the livingroom!

Bear with me as I use a new word my friend Donna taught me....
I was rather "bumfuzzled" by the drastic change of events from the previous 2 days!! GO GOD!!!

Later this afternoon Brad told me that my Pastor's wife, Debi, had called and wanted to cook us dinner for tomorrow night. I called her back feeling a bit guilty and that I might be getting a free meal under false pretenses! After all...I was walking!!!

It was then that she shared with me that God woke her up last night and she literally prayed ALL NIGHT for my healing. I was about beside myself when I told her that I truly woke up this morning with no pain and I was able to WALK!!

I have never had such a drastic and immediate answer to prayer before!! And I , of all people, know there was no over-exaggeration of my pain and inability to walk. You lose all sense of dignity when someone has to help you use the bathroom because you can't walk....(you just cant fake that kind of indignity! At least not when you VALUE modesty!)

As I mentioned before, I have been doing a lot of thinking lately...and even re-defining what friendship really is. In retrospect, I just ended a 19 year friendship that boiled down to be of little substance and was very unhealthy. Yet, right here under my nose, was a friend that I rarely get to spend time with other than in passing at church and a few hurried moments before or after a bible study at her home...yet the substance of THIS friendship proved to be more real and authentic than the fruit (or lack thereof) of a 19 year friendship that just ended.

I guess Debi has really raised the bar of what a quality friend really is. I long to be a friend like that...and God permitting, I plan on learning a lot from this wise woman of faith! Many friends will pray for you...but how many will pray ALL NIGHT for you until they see the breakthrough?

I have that kind of friend! When she speaks into my life...I listen. God does not place precious and priceless gems like this in your path to be stepped over and ignored! She is a Titus 2 woman if I ever met one! Through her faithfulness in prayer, she has won a place in my heart that few will ever enter.

I wish for you all to have a friend like Debi Kerr!

Dawn