Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Am I Healed?

APRIL 1975

"When you get your cast off, you will find that your leg is healed," Kathryn Kuhlman told me before an audience of thousands. Those words tormented me for 2 months.

I had just been to the doctor who kept on putting more and more cast goop on my leg cast making it heavier and heavier. My next appointment was in June. I was tormented because I didn't know if I should pry the cast off with a chisel or saw thus letting the whole Coast Guard station know that God heals. But if I did that and the Doctor said I wasn't healed, I would so dishonor Christ and make myself look like a fool. I just didn't know what to do.

Past teachings I thought I had discarded came back to haunt me. I felt like my lack of faith was keeping me from ripping the cast off, showing the world that Jesus is alive! But then again, what if I ripped it off and wasn't healed? The embarrassment would know no end and I would make Christianity look so bad. These thoughts plagued me for the two remaining months I had the cast on.

JUNE 1975

The earliest possible date for complete removal of the cast (according to my Doctor) was at hand. I decided to keep the cast on until the Doctor's appointment after all, but felt like I may have done wrong.

The nurse came in to remove my cast, but it was way too thick from a constant wrapping more and more cast stuff on it, so the Doctor sawed through it and took some xrays.

I prayed that I would not have to have another cast; I had one on for four months and was tired of it.

The Doctor barely knew me (he had no idea I was a Christian) and had no idea I was struggling so much with Kathryn Kuhlman's proclamation that I had been healed, nevertheless when he came in to the room where I was after looking at the xrays he literally shouted out (not really loud), "Rise up and walk, you're healed!"

I didn't think it was funny. It took awhile for me to get my sense of humor back.

UPDATE 2018

As I talked to my daughter about this event today, I realized for the first time since 1975 that it is possible that God was saying something to me back then. All healing, even natural healing and healing with the help of medicine is a gift of God. So, maybe God was speaking through the doctor that day.