Picture this scene - snowcapped mountains, horse drawn carriages, and cobblestone roads. As I arrived in Zermatt, Switzerland, I was excited for the vacation ahead. It was a week before Christmas in December of 2018, and I was enjoying time in the Swiss Alps with a close friend.
Fast forward 24 hours. Still the same beautiful scenery, with snowcapped mountains and ever so soft flurries dancing through the cold air. Only one thing was different. Now, my view was from my hotel room and it was a struggle to lift my body enough to sit up in bed. On a whim, my friend and I had decided to go skiing the day before (my first time). One trip down a mountain later and I was down for the count. As the ski-mobile transported me down the mountain and to the hospital, I knew something was seriously wrong. I spoke with the doctor, who looked at me with deep worry, sharing that I had torn my ACL and would require reconstructive knee surgery.
What do you do when everything seems to cave in? When the air is suddenly sucked out of your lungs and you aren’t sure what will happen next? I decided to pray. This wasn’t always my first reaction. I used to try and figure things out on my own or ask people close to me, but over the years I’ve learned that before I go to people with my problems my first call should be to the Lord. Sitting in that hotel room, I asked God to guide me. In what was one of the lowest moments of my life, I asked God to meet me, to encourage me, to speak to me. And He did. As I prayed, I asked God to give me a word to uplift me. And He did. I opened my Bible and the first verse I saw was Isaiah 41:29-31,
“He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.”
I chuckled to myself. God really does have a sense of humor! Here I was, immobile in my hotel room and the verse that I pull up speaks about young men stumbling and falling. All I could do was laugh. After that though, I had an overwhelming sense of peace. Despite the uncertainty, despite the worry about my injury and all the logistics, I felt peace. God was telling me to hope in Him, and not in my own strength. He was reminding me that my source of strength was Him and not me.
As I traveled back to the states and began what was nearly a year-long recovery process, I held closely to the words in Isaiah and put my hope in the Lord. I also finally understood what was written in the first chapter of James: “Consider it pure joy my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance” (Ja 1:2-3). I saw the truth in this, as my trial built incredible perseverance within me. It taught me how our most difficult moments are opportune times for God to grow us.
Growth is hard. Growth requires intention and growth requires reflection. Through my injury, surgery, and subsequent recovery, God impressed to me that to grow I had to G.R.O.W.
G - Get Real. To grow, I realized I needed to be honest with myself and about my injury. I could not sugar coat what happened. In order to heal, I had to be honest. In our lives, whatever the situation, honesty precedes our healing. Remember, God can only bless who you are, not who you pretend to be.
R - Release. Next, I had to release the things that were holding me back from my healing such as the fear of surgery. In your life, that can be any other fear, misconception, or distraction. We need to release these things to make room for God to be present in our lives.
O - Open up. Once I had gotten over my fears about surgery, I had to open up to the experts around me, my doctors and therapists who could help facilitate my healing process. In our lives, we need to do the same thing, opening up to trusted, godly mentors, friends, and family to help us move towards healing.
W - Walk in Freedom. After surgery, I had one end goal, that I could walk again, fully whole. Isn’t that what we are all aiming for? Our healing allows us to walk in God’s freedom and into the fullness of the future he has for us.
When we get real about our present circumstance, release the things holding us back, and open up to godly influence, we are able to confidently walk in freedom; knowing that we are fully loved and redeemed by Christ.
Now, I’m fully recovered and all that’s left is a scar on my knee. It serves as a reminder, yes of the reality of the pain I endured, but more importantly, a reminder of the God who was ever-present in my struggle.
This season is challenging. There is so much hurt and pain in our world, both in the physical environment around us and the spiritual environment within us. As we earnestly seek the Lord in these challenging times, He helps to G.R.O.W. us each day. He did it for me and He’ll do it for you.
Hi, I'm Nati Bulcho, a committed child of God. By day, I work as a Federal Consultant, seeking to make meaningful impact in our society. I’m most passionate about seeing lives transformed in Christ and enjoy watching others grow in their faith. You can connect with me on instagram @natibulcho, @thebible_truth (my devotional page) or by email at natibulcho@gmail.com
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