Reclaim What's Yours

Chapter 1

Trust the Process

Scripture: “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 NLT

Quote: "Sometimes God takes you on a journey that you didn’t know you needed to bring you everything you ever wanted. Trust the plan!” Kimberly Jones Pothier “Real Talk Kim” Pastor, Entrepreneur, and Author.

“How did I get here?” I thought as I laid on a cold steel bed after an outpatient procedure. “I mean, really…how did I get here and where is everyone?” I continued to wonder. As a registered nurse, I knew something was not quite right. The recommended age for a colonoscopy would be several years away for me. A couple months prior to the procedure I developed a sudden intense craving for ice. I would stop daily and purchase cups of crushed ice at local gas stations and convenience stores. Despite not having any abdominal cramping, pain, dark stools, or rectal bleeding I was here to rule out the possibility of cancer in my body.

All the clamoring of patients and staff that had been the introduction to this visit dissipated. Which left me alone with the nurse who was caring for me. “How are you feeling?” she asked. “You were really out for a while.” My facial expressions must have looked somewhat lost and confused. The nurse responded, “Let me go get your husband and let the doctor know you’re awake.” Now I was slightly alarmed. The Chief of Gastroenterology performed my procedure, which made me glad as it relieved some of my concern. She had a great bedside demeanor, which I enjoyed. The fact that she was very knowledgeable and skilled at her job also gave me some relief. As she walked over to my bedside, she greeted me with a warm hello and then said, “Let’s look at your pictures from your procedure. We’ll wait for your husband.” After years of working as a nurse, I sensed that whatever would be said next was not going to be good.

My husband entered and asked, “How are you?” as he sat near my feet. “Ok,” I said nervously as I turned my attention to the doctor and the monitor she was adjusting. The doctor suggested, “Let’s get started.” She began to breakdown the pictures we were looking at taken during the procedure, “This picture shows a great presentation of your colon, and this next picture shows a small nodule that we removed…no problem here. But this picture…?” I gasped because I saw the distinct difference between the blackish grey discoloration of my colon lining compared to what it should look like. I said, “That doesn’t look good.” The doctor agreed, “No, it doesn’t. That is cancerous, but the good news is that it is not located by the hepatic flexure…”. At that, I just zoned out! All I could hear was my husband saying, “I didn’t expect this, I didn’t expect this!” The doctor must have gotten the feeling that I was not able to absorb any more information, so she directed the rest of the conversation to him.

Going Through

Do you believe that God is trustworthy? Do you really believe He can be trusted with every aspect of your life? By now you may be frustrated, even annoyed that I continue to ask this question. I personally have realized that these questions must be asked everyday if you desire to live free from fear of “tormenting thoughts” and the “what-ifs” that come into your mind. Often, we say we believe but when the difficulties of life appear, we question God’s ability to handle our situation.

God is not like us. He does not promise something and then go back on that promise. He cannot lie! God is true to His word! The Bible provides detailed, historical accounts of men and women who went through similar human experiences to the ones that we face today. They experienced anxiety, depression, financial issues, health threats, and tragedies that fill life, such as, the loss of loved ones. Through their faith in God these men and women were overcomers in extraordinary ways. The same promises God made to individuals of the Bible so many years ago are available to you and me today. He never created you to live a tormenting, fearful life but to live your life triumphantly and to go through every test and trial victoriously.