Since my scoliosis operation in July of 2010, I have been hearing the words "You will never" quite often. "You will never carry more than 10 kilograms at a time"... "You will never be able to walk more than 5 kilometers at once"... "You will never be able to ride a bicycle again"... "You will never be able to do road-running again".
Physical barriers constructed through medical precautions prevented me from being able to do all the things I wanted to. I valued my doctor's opinion more than my God's opinion.
Medical experts were saying, "No, you may not". My God was saying, "Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." [1 John 4:4]
Yes, it's true. I doubted God. He was saying that I am completely healed, despite the fact that I have 16 screws and 2 metal rods straightening my spine. He was promising to be my strength, but instead, I relied on Vitathon sachets to give me energy.
As you can imagine, this year was deemed impossible by medical experts. Carrying my own backpack when hitch hiking? No ways. And don't even dream of joining your team mates for an early morning jog.
Oh, I think God was laughing at all those limitations. It was He that enabled me to carry a 25kg backpack - my own fault that it is so heavy, really. He gave me the strength to do road-running in Barbados - I ran 3km straight without stopping, without pain. His Spirit empowered me to endure a 30km hike up and down the Gran Piedra mountain in Cuba with minimal pain the next day. He also gave the green light for triking down the mountains of Sololá with Pastor Ben here in Guatemala.
Medical experts might be saying no. They might be providing you with a "Medical Precautions" handbook as thick as a telephone book. The only word you might be hearing from them is "No". Well... We serve a God whose authority surpasses those limitations... A God that enables His children to do things that seem impossible in medical terms... A God who loves and protects His children and wants them to have fun, even if it involves speeding down a mountain on a trike at 60km an hour.
My God is a God that says, "Go for it". For a God that enabled His Son to walk on water, a 30km hike is nothing.
"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love."
~ 1 John 4:18 ♡