HE KNOWS MY NAME
Skeptics may debate the validity of scripture or argue the existence of God, but no one can deny the personal testimony of your experience with God. Why do I have to believe in the existence of one I have never seen? Though their is no evidence of his existence.
My name is Amy, this is my testimony: I lived a free life, I had high school friends, I partied, drank, smoke at will, I was a girl of the moment in Hampshire, I belonged to the school cheer leading groups. I had a boyfriend, Brian. He was a cute guy, lovely and a rave of the moment.
Sorry I forgot to mention my sister Lydia, perhaps I forgot her because she was the opposite of me. She is a nerd, believes in God, prays, cares for others more than herself. If you ask me, she is just pious and ascetic. Because of her way of life, I was tagged the black sheep of the family but I enjoyed my life. Christianity was just too boring for me. Brian would be there for me, I love him and he loves me, that is enough all I wanted. I was restlessly addicted to Brian, I suffered from insecurity, he was too good, every other girl wanted him, so I jealously protected him from other girls.
Six months ago, I fainted in the hallway. I was taken to the local hospital. The doctor attended to me, ran test and thought I had tuberculosis. I was coughing persistently and I bleed from my nose. I was referred to a specialist hospital. Several checks were done. It came out I had mesothelioma cancer. Within a short while, I was not just coughing, I experienced weight loss, loss of appetite and night sweat. Most of the time, I felt sharp pain in my chest, in between my ribs. I had respiratory complications so I was placed on oxygen to aid my breath.The cancer was spreading over my body. My lungs were affected badly. The doctor said I had 10% survival chances, I had at most 3 months to live. They believed that even with chemotherapy, surgery and respiratory aid. I was likely to die of respiratory failure or pneumonia.
I celebrated my seventeenth birthday in ICU. Brian never showed up, he never came. He did not break up with me, he just left me to die. I was preparing for chemotherapy and respiratory surgery .My parents and my sister prayed with me. My sister feared I would die an unbeliever, she urged me to believe in God. I began to prepare for my surgery like I was preparing for death. I gave out all my stuffs to the poor. I began to reconcile with all my adversaries. My mom cried, my dad felt dejected and sober but my sister never lost hope.
Two weeks to my chemo, my sister who had been with me from the day I fainted complained of headache. She was taken to another ward to rest. The nurse said it was due to stress. She did not want to leave. I urged her to. She said “I will be back shortly”. She never came back. She died in her sleep. It was a tragedy that struck our family. I was still in sickbed, when my sister died. My mom wept bitterly. My dad missed her, he looked in my face and say she was not supposed to die, it would have been better if I died. I got the message, she was the good daughter giving them hope and happiness. She was not supposed to die.
My mom was scared, she became mentally unstable. She had fears she was going to lose me. That would be a great disaster. Losing two only children within the space of one month. The prayers stopped, no one cared about my survival except my mom. She never left, she kept saying “Lord you will not take them both away from me”.
The D day came, the visiting doctor, Doctor Benjamin was a pastor, he held my hands and told me my survival was based on my total submission to Christ. I did, he prayed with me. I was moved in for surgery, sedated and slept off. That was the last thing I remembered, except for my dream where I saw him telling me he knows me, he showed me his stripes, the wounds were fresh. He gave me water to drink. I was surprised he knew me. He held my hands and said “Before creation, I knew you. I knew you before I formed you. He removed my heart and fixed it with a new one.
Hours later , I woke up to a team of expectant doctors waiting to see me wake up. My pulse was slow but they were assured, I was still alive.
Today, I am fine, hale and healthy. The doctors earlier said I had three months to live, another doctor helped me prepare for a medical surgery which became a spiritual encounter. Today I am an active member of the student fellowship, a worker in the sanctuary. I am the body of Christ on earth.
Sometimes, I ask myself why Lydia died but I’m convinced. He (GOD) does things perfectly, we can not query his decision. Rest in peace Lydia. This testimony is for you.
I am convinced by his words in Jeremiah 1:5
“Amy, I am your Creator, and before you were born, I chose you to speak for me to the nations.”
If he knows my name, he knows yours too.
Martins Adedeji
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