When God Writes Your Next Chapter… My Story

Did I ever tell you the story of how I became a writer for Jesus? You know my story of how He chose to use me, an unlikely person, to share Him?

Let Me Tell You Now

November 11, 2016. I remember the day with striking clarity. For weeks, a gnawing unease had settled within me. My anxiety, like loose squirrels, darted frantically through my thoughts. At the same time, an unyielding headache, a constant companion for months, obscured any memory of peace.

Alongside this relentless pain, I experienced a perplexing array of symptoms: memory issues, numbness, tingling, chest pain, and even slurred speech when the pressure and pain in my head intensified. What was happening to me?

That fateful November day, I called my doctor, desperate for an answer. By some grace, they had an opening. As I recounted my struggles, the nurse took my blood pressure. The reading — a dangerous 186/99 — sent me into a whirlwind. I was immediately admitted to the hospital for accelerated hypertension.

It was during an MRI of my head that the true revelation began to unfold. Explaining my persistent symptoms and unending pain to the MRI technician, I was startled by a new voice in the room. “You have complicated migraines,” the neurologist who I didn’t see enter the room stated, a diagnosis that initially left me bewildered.

She went on to explain that complicated migraines are rare, and unlike typical auras, mine manifest as stroke-like symptoms. Suddenly, everything clicked. Strangely, I felt a surge of relief; finally, a diagnosis meant the possibility of treatment.

But my journey was far from over. The combination of accelerated hypertension (which is now managed). complicated migraines, severe anxiety, and a raging flare-up of fibromyalgia forced me into early retirement at the age of 45. My beloved career in social work, which I believed was my sole purpose, was abruptly taken from me. I was devastated.

The aftermath was brutal. I plunged into a deep depression, battling anxiety and panic attacks that drove me to rock bottom once more. It wasn’t my first visit to that dark place.

Though I grew up in a loving Christian home, for much of my life, I’d been a lukewarm believer, determined to navigate life on my own terms. It took this profound crisis, this utter crash, for me to finally surrender. “Okay, God,” I prayed, “I need You. I can’t do life on my own; every time I try, I fail.”

A New Calling Emerges

Fast forward to 2019. My relationship with God was blossoming, a journey that continues to this day. Yet, I felt a persistent nudge, a quiet whisper, a distinct calling for… something more… But what?

At first, His purpose for me was unclear. Then, with sudden clarity, it became undeniable: He was calling me to write. Immediately, doubt crept in. “But I’m not a writer,” I said, engaging in a silent tug-of-war, Him pulling, me resisting. So I hemmed and hawed around for a couple of months.

Okay, God, YOU WIN!

Finally, in November 2019, I surrendered. I began writing for Him. Just when I thought I had lost my way, lost my purpose, He unveiled a new one. My purpose for Him. I can’t imagine my life any other way.

I am profoundly grateful for the trials I’ve faced and the crashes I’ve endured. Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today, so intimately connected with God. It’s truly remarkable how blessings often arrive in disguise.

And so, this journey with Jesus continues, leading me ever deeper into surrender.

**Note:**Treatment for complicated migraines remains somewhat experimental due to limited research on this rare condition. Some regimens offer relief ( Recently, Once monthly self-injection of Emgality offers 8 days migraine-free, which is 8 days I didn’t have before), others don’t. But I have no worries; Jesus has me.

I’m linking up this month with these AMAZING Blog Hop/Link-Up party hostesses!