Soaking, Music, How God Speaks to Me!

Soaking, Music, How God Speaks!

God speaks to his children in various ways.  Some hear an audible voice. Some see visions.  Some experience feelings from God.  Some can just feel his presence.  Some hear God through other people.  Some hear Him in other ways.  Some experience several of these things.  I feel like most often, God speaks to me through music.

 Back when I was a junior in high school, I started going to youth group at my church.  My youth leader, Courtney, taught me and the group of girls I had a Bible study with, many valuable lessons.  One of the coolest things she taught us to practice that I believe will stick with me my whole life is something she calls “soaking”.

I mentioned this term in one of my previous posts and promised to explain it.

So many times, we pray to God but never give Him a chance to respond.  We are so busy worrying about all the things we need God to help us with, but fail to realize that God knows our thoughts even before we think them.  He knows every struggle we will face before we face them.

We are still told to pray without ceasing.  To pray about everything.  To thank God for all He has done.  To tell Him what we need.

We also need to trust in His timing and trust that He hears us when we call on Him.  We need to have faith like David.

“The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord will answer my prayer.” Psalm 6:9

We serve a God who answers our prayers!

“Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly” Psalm 5:3

A lot of times when we pray, it is more like a one way conversation.  Does anybody have a friend that when you are with them, all they do is TALK?  And if you try to make a comment or talk about something else, they just KEEP talking?! And you can never get a word in?  Well that is what it’s like when many of us pray.  We just talk and talk and talk about all of our problems, and never give God a chance to respond to us.

In soaking, we invite God into our quiet time, and wait expectantly for him to answer us.  I like to play soft worship music in the background while I’m soaking.  Sometimes people will lay down or lift their hands.  Most of the time, it’s best to close your eyes so you can really focus on God.  This gives us a chance to just press in to the love of God.  We welcome Him in and just ask Him to speak to us.  You can even ask Him a question and wait for Him to answer.  If you have faith and trust that God will answer you, he will!  It is amazing to see what God does when we just focus on Him and really LISTEN to what he has to say.

At the end of this post, I will list some songs that I love soaking to.  Try it out and see what God does!

Ever since I have started soaking, I have noticed that God really speaks to me through music.  I have had several experiences where I will be stressed or anxious and song lyrics will pop into my head and make me feel calm.

Towards the end of my junior year of high school, I had a lot on my mind as I was walking into school.  I just started praying to God.  I was specifically praying for a dear friend of mine that does not have a relationship with God.  (Guys, we need to be sad for these people.  They don’t have what we have—a relationship with our Heavenly Father.  We need to try to share the love of God with them and reach out to them.) So I was praying for my friend and I thought of the lyrics: “Chains be broken/ Lives be healed/ Eyes be opened/ Christ is revealed”

I couldn’t remember what song these lyrics were from or any of the other lyrics from the song, but thought they were the perfect way to pray for my friend.  I was just praying that God would reveal himself to her.  That he would open her eyes to see His love.  That he would heal the brokenness in her life and break the chains of lies that had a hold of her. 

Later that same day, I was reflecting on the amazing fact that “as surely as the sun will rise you’ll (God) come for us” which I know are lyrics from a song.  So I looked up the words and found that they are from the same song as the lyrics I prayed about earlier! The song is called “You’ll Come”.  After listening to this song, I really felt like God was telling me that He has heard my cries and He was telling me to be patient.  And that He will answer my prayers in the right timing.  It gave me so much peace by hearing this song! Check it out and you will see what I’m talking about!

Another time, I was having trouble with showing love to people who had hurt me.  I know that we are supposed to love our enemies and pray for those that have persecuted us, but it’s so hard sometimes!!! But then I was reminded… Jesus gave us the perfect example of love.  He loved all people, even those who persecuted him.  Even those who mocked him.  Even those who spat at him and nailed him to the cross.  He loved ALL people!  I began to pray that God would give me the strength to love the unlovable, just as Jesus did.  I thought of myself and how much I have done wrong in my life.  Yet God loves me with his PERFECT love.  It never ends.  It will never fail me.  It is not conditional.  He loves me just as I am.  Surely, I can love these people that had hurt me.  I then turned up the radio and immediately, the song “Hosanna” came on.  Some of the lyrics in this song are: “Show me how to love like You have loved me
Break my heart for what breaks Yours
Everything I am for Your kingdom's cause”

I began to pray those words to God over my life.  I knew in that very moment that God was going to help me show love to those people.  I knew that he was going to give me the strength to forgive them.  I knew He would restore broken relationships. 

Music is very important to me.  Serving God and glorifying Him in every aspect of my life is very important to me.  Because of this, I rarely listen to secular music.  I would rather listen to music that is going to build me up and have a positive impact on my life. 

I know a family that had Christian music playing in their house nonstop, whether they were home or not.  When I have a house of my own, I would love to do this.  Just having Christian music playing in the background can have such a positive impact on your life!

Nowadays, we have access to music at our fingertips, wherever we go.  Why not choose to listen to uplifting, godly music, and watch Him move in our lives?!

Remember, You are so loved by your Heavenly Father who gave His son to die for you!

Lots of Love,

Dani xoxo

Songs I love to Soak to:

You Know Me- Bethel Music

Pieces- Amanda Cook

I Exalt Thee- Jesus Culture

You Don’t Miss a Thing- Amanda Cook

You Won’t Relent- Freedom Life Worship

How He Loves- David Crowder

What Love is This- Kari Jobe

Love Came Down- Brian Johnson

We Dance- Bethel Music

I See Heaven- Brian and Katie Torwalt

Mercy- Amanda Cook

I hope you enjoy! What are your favorites?

Why I want to Teach!

Why I want to be a Teacher

(God given gifts)

 

I believe that God has given us each a gift.  He has created us each for a purpose.

“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts.  Use them well to serve one another”

1 Peter 4:10

I believe that I am called to become a teacher for young students.  I am very passionate about teaching young children and I know this is what God created me to do.

I have always loved kids and babies.  I am a very organized, responsible person that likes structure and order.  I love to be in charge and lead a group of people.  I remember playing school with my friends starting as early as preschool.  If I was at home I would drag my poor brother and sister into it, demanding that they sit and follow my instructions with stickers as their reward.  I remember racing to the trash can to snatch and save the extra copies of worksheets that my fourth grade teacher was going to toss.  I had an entire binder full of worksheets that my friends and I would use to play school with.  This is a passion that I was born with.  I want to teach.

I have had people that barely know me tell me that they can see me as a teacher.  That they think I have the perfect personality for it.  This encouragement is priceless!

We come across many people in our lives, and God places people in your life for a reason.  I was inspired by my first grade teacher, Mrs. Moore, to become a teacher.  At the age of 6.  I wanted to be just like her.  She was so funny and kind.  She made each student feel important.  She helped me learn so well.  I loved the way she read Junie B. Jones to us.  To this day when I need to spell “together”, I say to myself “to get her” because that is how she taught me.  I loved using “space man” to make sure I had appropriate spacing between my words.  I loved how once a week, our class would recognize a student to be “Special Kid of the Day”.  We got to stand in front of the class and everyone would draw a picture of you or for you and then Mrs. Moore would make it into a book for you.

Some people really do have an impact on your life that is unforgettable.  Mrs. Moore inspired me to give other kids the experience that I had in her class.  I still want to be just like her.

As time went on, my passion for teaching only grew.  When I was in fifth grade, my class was assigned a first grade class to be reading buddies with.  My reading buddy was a little red-headed boy named Collin.  I looked forward to reading with him every week.  I loved reading to him and guiding him as he read to me.  One day, I was helping him take an AR test (a short reading comprehension test) on the book we had just read.  Collin’s teacher noticed how I was reading the question and all of the answer choices to him.  She approached my teacher and told her what a great job I was doing.  This was just encouragement to me and more confirmation that I was created to teach!

During my early high school years, I had the opportunity to teach a Sunday school class at church once a month with my friend Amanda.  We had a great time coming up with lessons and crafts together.  This was great practice for developing patience and teaching young children.

During my junior and senior years of high school, I had the great opportunity of participating in an internship called Teachers for Tomorrow.  Through this program I was assigned a class to go to for about an hour four days a week.  I basically got to act as a student teacher for the class.  I am so thankful that I had this opportunity because I got to experience teaching first hand.

My high school teacher for this class, Lisa Tworek, was absolutely incredible.  She always inspires her students to be the best they can be and helps encourage them to reach their goals.  She is so passionate about teaching.  I want that same desire to show through my future career all of the days I am a teacher.

The first year of the internship, I was placed in a Kindergarten class with Leah Baggett and Denise Loehr.  They are both amazing teachers!  I learned SO much from them.  Patience with students was a big one.  Also how to control a class.  We did several different chants to catch the students’ attention and to encourage them.  I also remember learning how to encourage students and have a positive impact on them.  It really does show in their performance!

The second year of the internship, I had the opportunity to work with Stephanie Warren in her first grade class.  She is so organized and creative.  She always made learning fun and interactive with the kids.  She gave me a lot of responsibilities in the classroom and trusted me to teach and discipline.  It was a great experience to be part of her class!

Now that I am at Regent and studying elementary education, I couldn’t be happier with my career choice.  I am so intrigued by the way little ones think, learn, and process information.  I am seeing that education is more than just teaching students scholarly content, but also teaching them good character.  Even if I work in a public school, I have the ability to show my students the love of God.  My prayer is that I will be so overtaken but the love of God that my students will all feel that love.  I pray that I will be so captivated by the joy of the Lord, that my students will be joyful.  And my hope is that I will be able to encourage and motivate my students on a daily basis and inspire them.  I want to have a lasting impression on their lives.

 I know that teaching is not the best paying job.  I have had people in my life discourage me from teaching for this reason.  But I also know that this is the most rewarding career path that I could possibly take.  Seeing the growth in my students' lives is more than enough to keep me going.  I will be more than happy to put in the work, if that means I can change students' lives. 

I believe that each one of us is given a gift from the Lord. We need to follow his calling for our life.  We are commanded to use these gifts given to us by God, for his glory.

“In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.  So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you.  If your gift is serving others, serve them well.  If you are a teacher, teach well.  If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging.  If it is giving, give generously.  If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously.  And if you have the gift of showing kindness to others, do it gladly” Romans 12:6-8

We each have a gift.  The Lord has blessed us with this gift.  Let us bless him in return by using it to further his Kingdom.

I hope you have been inspired and encouraged by this post.  What is your gift from God? What is your calling?  Comment!  I would love to hear feedback!

Remember, you are loved, you were made for a purpose.  Use your life to glorify God!  Seek him!  When you bless others, the Lord will bless you.

Lots of Love,

Dani xoxo

Virginia Wesleyan to Regent University?

Virginia Wesleyan to Regent???

 

I am a planner!  I plan everything in such full detail! It’s bad… This is a time in my life that things did not go as I had planned, but so much GOOD came out of it because I trusted that God had the best plans for my life.

“We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” Proverbs 16:9 NLT

So I was SET on going to Virginia Wesleyan College.  For those who don’t know, this is a very small private college in Norfolk, VA.  There are about 1,300 students that attend (less than my high school!).  But I was determined that this is what I wanted.  A small, private, liberal arts college.  Close enough to home that I could go home for the weekends if I wanted, but too far to commute every day.  I was also blessed with an amazing scholarship that covered 100% of my tuition fees.  To me, this seemed PERFECT! So I decided not to apply to any other colleges.  Why spend the time and money applying to other schools that I didn’t even want to go to?  I was set.  I was admitted, awarded the scholarship, and beyond excited to become a Virginia Wesleyan Marlin!

Well… God had other plans for me. 

I started school at Virginia Wesleyan in August 2015.  I was SO excited to begin this crazy college journey especially alongside my INCREDIBLE new roommate, Brandy.  We had met at the admitted freshman event a few months prior to our move in date and requested to room together.  We bonded immediately and what really stood out is we both are studying Elementary Education to become first grade teachers!  Everything had fallen into place. 

The first few weeks at VWC were difficult for both of us.  We were going through so much change.  It was difficult adjusting. But we were able to go through that process together.  Which was SUCH a blessing!

As the days, weeks, and months passed I realized that I wasn’t very happy at VWC.  It wasn’t at all what I was expecting.  I was very disappointed, and shocked that I wasn’t happy.  It was very hard to come to this realization that VWC wasn’t for me.  I had already started my time there.  I had very carefully planned spending the next four years of my life studying at this college.  How could this happen?  What could I do?  Why was this happening?  I had these perfect plans!  I was getting free school!

I really started to pray about what to do.  I needed guidance and direction.  I felt so confused. 

Not long after I began having these feelings, I talked to my family about my concerns.  My mom presented me with the idea of transferring to Regent University.  Now I had not even considered going to Regent because BOTH of my parents work there.  Also, I did not feel like Regent would give me that full college experience.  They have only had their undergraduate program for the last ten years.  I would have the option to live on campus or at home.  They have apartment style dorms with full kitchens because they do not have a dining hall with meal plans available.  I wanted to live away from home and have that so called “college experience”.

I took my mom’s thoughts into consideration and really prayed about transferring to Regent and the plans that God had for the following years of my education.  I decided to really look in to all that Regent has to offer by meeting with admissions counselors and advisors in the education program.  I applied and was accepted!

After messing around with the credits I had earned through high school and my classes at Virginia Wesleyan, I figured out that Regent would accept ALL of my credits!  This was super exciting news! AND because of the way Regent offers classes, I would be able to graduate in May 2018 instead of May 2019.  So after one semester at VWC and two and a half years at Regent, I will have my teaching certification. 

I had made my decision to transfer to Regent University and start spring semester January 2016.  As I made this announcement, many people were shocked.  I had been so excited to go to VWC.  But I really felt like God was calling me to continue pursuing my degree in Elementary Education at Regent.  I had to trust that. 

“The Lord directs the steps of the godly.  He delights in every detail of their lives” Psalm 37:23

I am so thankful that God is the one that guides my steps.  He shows me the way to go.  He is so faithful.  He knows all things.  He delights in EVERY SINGLE DETAIL of MY life!  That is amazing.  He has a plan and a purpose for my life.  He has a plan for this time of change.  This season of my life. 

I am a person that not only likes to plan everything, but I also do NOT like change at all!  I questioned the idea of transferring.  If Regent is really where I need to be, why didn’t I start there in the first place?  That makes no sense that I would spend all that money and time at a school that I wasn’t going to stay at! Well I continued to think about this and I am very thankful for the time I spent at VWC.  I was able to see that the true college experience of living in a dorm and away from home really isn’t for me.  Had I not had this experience, I would have been longing to know what it was like. 

The Lord also blessed me financially with going to Regent.  Because my parents work at Regent, I was automatically awarded 75% off of my tuition.  After I had already moved out of Virginia Wesleyan and was on winter break, my family received news that this discount was changed from 75% off to 100% off of my tuition.  Earlier that same day, I had taken a leap of faith financially and gave money to a cause that I felt God was calling me to give to.  This was NOT a coincidence. God blesses you when you obey Him and He blesses those who bless others.

“Give and you will receive.  Your gift will return to you in full” Luke 6:38

I started classes at Regent in January.  I had three 8 week classes online, one of which met once a week on campus.  For those that are unfamiliar, 8 week classes are INTENSE.  They are basically the typical 16 week classes, that last an entire semester, packed into 8 weeks.  So double the work in half the time.

I had never taken online classes before and the first few weeks were very stressful and difficult.  But I got used to it.  And I really have enjoyed my classes.  Regent really focuses on integrating faith and learning.  This is one thing I was missing out on at VWC.  It was so cool to be able to pray with and for my classmates, be encouraged by the word of God, and support the topics I was learning about in school with biblical references.  I have gone to public school my entire life and never experienced this freedom to talk about God freely with my teachers and classmates. 

I have seen God break so many chains of fear in my face to face class.  We had students share very personal stories for the first time to the class.  We had one student admit that she was struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts and we were able to surround her with love and encouragement and pray for her.  We were able to honor each other every week and lift each other up.  That was more than a class full of students that didn’t know each other.  It was a community.  It was a place to go for fellowship.   This is the type of education that I never knew I needed and never knew I could have!

I have experienced a great amount of spiritual growth already in my short time at Regent.  And I am SO excited to see all that God has planned for me during my time there.  It is awesome to have God in the center of my schooling.  It is also amazing to have the support of my classmates and professors in a deep and spiritual way.

Like I said, when I packed up to go to Virginia Wesleyan, I was certain I would be there for the next four years.  I never had the intention of leaving.  But God had bigger plans for my life.  And I’m not going to lie.  It was difficult.  But I am so happy that I have a God that cares about me enough to delight in every detail in my life.  A God who KNOWS what is best for me.  A God who knows my future.  A God who knows me better than I know myself.  My God is in control and I can rest in knowing that my life is in His hands.  He will provide.  He will.

If you ever find yourself in a difficult position, remind yourself of these things.  When things don’t go as planned, remember that God is the one who determines your steps.  Remember that He has had every detail of your life planned out before a single day had passed. Psalm 139

Remember:  You are important to God.  You are loved.  Trust in Him. 

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6

Seek His guidance.  He has GOOD plans for your life. 

"For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord.  They are plans for GOOD and not for disaster, to give you a FUTURE and a HOPE." Jeremiah 29:11

You are treasured.  And your faith is more precious than gold to your Heavenly Father. 1 Peter 1:7

Have you experienced a time when you thought you had everything figured out, but God had bigger plans?  Comment!  I’d love to hear!

Be Blessed!

Dani xoxo

Ecclesiastes 3 Seasons of Life

Ecclesiastes 3:1-13 Seasons of Life

Thanks so much to Sarah for asking me to write about this passage.  I have been praying about this and reading over it for the past couple of weeks.  It’s so cool the things God has revealed to me!

V1 “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven”

Wow… EVERY activity!  This just shows that God really does have a plan.  What you are going through is part of His plan, and He will use you and every season of life that you go through for a purpose!

“I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything.  I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.  For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:11-13

Philippians 4:13 is actually about contentment! Think about how you can be content in every season of your life.

V2 “A time to be born and a time to die.

A time to plant and a time to harvest.”

“You saw me before I was born.  Every day of my life was recorded in your book.  Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” Psalm 139:16

Your entire life is planned out.  Every season, every hardship, every accomplishment, every celebration.  Have peace in knowing that God is going to use every season in your life to stretch you, help you grow, and further His Kingdom.

V3 “A time to kill and a time to heal.

A time to tear down and a time to build up.”

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.  The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.”

Psalm 34:18-19

“Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up” Proverbs 12:25

V4 “A time to cry and a time to laugh.

A time to grieve and a time to dance.”

So many people have such a hard time taking time to grieve and be sad because they think they are supposed to be happy all the time.  But LOOK, it says right there… it is okay to mourn, it is okay to cry. You will go through difficult seasons in your life and it is okay to grieve and healthy to do so.

“Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes in the morning” Psalm 30:5

 It won't last forever, it's just a season.

V5 “A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.

A time to embrace and a time to turn away.”

This could be anything in life that you need to let go of.  It could be people, stressors, or any other challenges.  There may be a time when you need to let go and turn away.  This is why prayer is so important.  Seek the Lord and He will guide you.

“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you.” James 1:5

V6 “A time to search and a time to quit searching.

A time to keep and a time to throw away.”

This verse reminds me of the saying “Let go and Let God”.  Sometimes we need to stop searching so hard for answers.  Sometimes we just need to let go and give it to God.  And trust that He will use the circumstance for good. Romans 8:28

V7a “A time to tear and a time to mend…”

The first part of this scripture reminded me of a vision the Lord gave me on March 7, 2014 (Wow… almost exactly two years ago; God’s timing really is perfect) when I was at a youth retreat at my church.  We were all in a time of prayer.  We were “soaking”.  (I will go into more detail about what “soaking” is in a later post).  But we were basically sitting in a place in the room alone, talking to God and focusing on what He wanted to tell us while the worship team played music.

I remember God gave me a vision of a giant piece of fabric.  It was so big, I couldn’t see the end.  I remember seeing the top of the piece of fabric and it started to tear.  It started out tearing very slowly, then it started tearing faster and faster, until it suddenly stopped RIGHT before the end of the piece of fabric.  Then, these hands came with a needle and thread and began to mend the piece of fabric.  Again, slowly at first and then faster and faster until the entire piece was mended back together and made whole again.

I wrote: “God will mend my problems with His own hands.  It may seem like I am going to completely fall apart, but God is aware and will sew me back together.  And even though the stitching remains, I have been healed and have proof of what He has done for me.”  (I was going through a very difficult time in my life with one of my very closest friends in the hospital and I had to trust in the Lord and rely on Him through this difficult season.)

But it is so amazing what happens when we trust God and seek Him in every aspect of our lives.

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” Matthew 6:33

This time was very difficult for me.  But I can honestly say that it is one of the times that I have experienced the most spiritual growth because I was seeking God for my comfort.

“When troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  For you know when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when it has fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” James 1:2-4

Matthew 11:28   1 Peter 1:6-7     2 Corinthians 12:9

V7b “…A time to be quiet and a time to speak.”

This is a hard one, I know.  Sometimes it is easy to speak without thinking.  But we see right here, that it is not always best to speak; there is a time for that.

“You must be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry” James 1:19

V8 “A time to love and a time to hate.

A time for war and a time for peace.”

“Don’t just pretend to love others.  Really love them.  Hate what is wrong.  Hold tightly to what is good.  Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other”

Romans 12:9-10

We are told to hate what is wrong.  But we are also told to love everyone.  Even our enemies. Romans 12:14

“Never pay back evil with more evil… Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone”

Romans 12:17-18

The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy.  We need to fight against him.  Do not allow him to conquer you. John 10:10     1 Peter 5:8-9

“Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good” Romans 12:21

V9-11 “What do people really get for their hard work?

I have seen the burden God has placed on us all.  Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time.  He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.”

We need to trust in God’s PERFECT timing!

“he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion” (Philippians 1:6)

He ALWAYS makes things beautiful in His timing.

“Look, I am making everything new!” (Revelation 21:5)

And we do not know all that God is doing.  That may be frustrating to some people, but I think that is so exciting!  God will reveal these things that He is doing, to us in the right timing.  What an exciting thing to look forward to!

We need to trust that He will use the season of life we are in for His glory!

“Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later”

Romans 8:18

V12-13 “There is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. And people should eat and enjoy the fruits of their labor for these are gifts from God.”

Enjoy gifts from God! Be thankful for every season of life you are in.  Be thankful and trust that God will use these times to increase your faith.

 

It is important for us to understand that while we will go through different seasons, hardships, accomplishments, good times and bad times, OUR GOD WILL NEVER CHANGE.

“Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens.  He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.” (James 1:17)

We serve a GOOD God and when we call on Him for help and guidance, He will help us.  He will strengthen you.  He will shine His love and His favor and His glory upon you.

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Romans 8:28

Leave any comments if you want to add anything to what I have said!

Feel free to share with your friends! Let’s spread God’s word! He’s doing BIG things!!!

Thank you Lovely People J

Dani xoxo

Happy Heart Day! (17 year Open Heart Surgery Anni)

Happy Heart Day! (Open Heart Surgery Story)

For those of you who don’t know, I was born with a hole in my heart.  Here is the full story of what happened during this time!

I was born on May 29, 1997 at a normal size of 7 pounds 1 ounce.  However, I did not grow and gain weight as quickly as most babies.  Because of this, my doctor made sure to pay close attention to my heart.  In December 1997, when I was 7 months old, I was only 11 pounds.  Just before Christmas, on December 16, 1997, my doctor found a hole in my heart.

This specific hole was called an Atrial Septal Defect (ASD).  I needed to have open heart surgery in order to fix the problem and avoid further complications.  But the doctor told my parents that I could not have the surgery until I was 20 pounds.  This was very scary for my parents because they thought I would never be 20 pounds!  I had only gained four pounds in seven months! 

They ended up having to feed me things like sour cream on a spoon, added extra butter to all of my food, and lots of oatmeal.  But as my mom says, “it didn’t matter what we tried, you didn’t eat anything!”

When I had finally gained enough weight, I was almost 2 years old.  God reminded my family of His promises during this difficult time. 

 “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us…

The fire had not touched them.  Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched.  They didn’t even smell of smoke” Daniel 3:17, 27 NLT

Guys, can we just take a minute to think about this… I mean for real, this is crazy!  This furnace was soooo HOT that the men that threw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the fire were killed by the flames immediately.  AND the three men not only survived the fire, but they were able to WALK out of the furnace without a single hair singed, or their clothing or skin burned.  They didn’t even SMELL like smoke!  People smell like smoke if they even walk past a fire! This really is amazing!

God reminded my mom of this story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the Bible.  He told her that our family was going to go through the FIRE.  It was going to be difficult.  Not easy.  HARD.  BUT, He was going to get us through it.  We were going to come out of this not even smelling of smoke.  Not a single hair would be singed.  She questioned this at first, but then was reminded… this passage is found Daniel 3.  And my name is “DANIELle”.  After this, she was SURE this was something that God was telling her and felt more peace. 

Friends and family surrounded us with love and prayers during this time.  We had churches pray over me.  My grandparents came and watched my brother and sister while my parents took me to the hospital.  My dad was a middle school teacher at the time and his school did a fundraiser for me without him knowing.  They were able to wear a hat to school if they made a donation.  My dad was blessed with the money when he came back to the school after my surgery.

I was finally scheduled to have my open heart surgery on March 2, 1999 (about 21 months old).  We had to go to Duke University Medical Center.  I went into the Operating Room at 7AM and my mom helped put me to sleep by 7:10AM. 

“Then God’s peace sustained us” ~My Momma

I was out of surgery by 10AM and they told my parents that all went well. 

“Then at 12:30 we saw our baby- So sleepy but she knew we were there.  She lifted both needle filled arms and made the only moan she could.  The battle continued…” ~Momma

The next day (March 3) I had a blood transfusion.  I had to get an IV put in so I could move out of the ICU. 

“She did not talk, only shut her eyes in pain and cried” ~Momma

“…then in the late afternoon the storm was outside and in our hearts- our nerves were shot.  God answered with His Promise… a RAINBOW!” ~Momma

Romans 4:20-21

This rainbow was so big and bright and right over the hospital!

My brother and sister made me a tape of them singing and praying for me that I listened to in the Hospital.  So sweet!

On day three (March 4) I was able to be “unhooked” from the IV and monitors.  This meant I could get pulled around the hospital in a wagon.  Mom said they knew I was uncomfortable, but… “All Dani would say is ‘NO ROOM’~ that was a clear order! She was almost FREE!” ~Momma

 

The next day (March 5) it was time to GO HOME! I took my last ride in the wagon OUT of the Hospital!

This was definitely a difficult, scary time for our family.  But God reassured us that He would bring us through it.  He keeps His promises.  He cares for you.  Cry out to Him, and He will get you through!

I believe that He has a plan for my life.  He saved my life as a baby.  He allowed me to stay alive and have this surgery, and it be successful!  I have not had ANY problems since!  He gave me the greatest gift of all-LIFE. And for that I am so thankful.  Live life with a purpose! Glorify God in everything!

Guys, we serve a good God.  A BIG, POWERFUL, ALMIGHTY GOD! 

Remember Philippians 4:6-7

“Don’t worry about anything; instead PRAY about EVERYTHING.  Tell God what you need and thank Him for all he has done.  Then you will experience God’s PEACE, which exceeds anything we can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

Psalm 34:17-18 “The LORD hears his people when they call to him for help.  He rescues them from all their troubles.  The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.”

Thank the Lord today for all He has done in your life.  Thank him for allowing you to wake up!  If you are going through a difficult time, pray to Him.  Pour out your heart to Him.  Trust in Him.  Hold on to His promises.  Listen to what He says to you.  He is always with you.  He is your comforter, your healer, your provider.  He is a good God.  Thank Him!

You are sooooo loved!

                               Dani xoxo