Spriritual Journal (part 1)

Several years ago I was challenged by a longtime family friend to begin a journal of my spiritual markers. I started, but like many things did not follow through. I am now going to share what I wrote and hopefully add to it regularly. This will be an ongoing, if not occasional process.

Spritual Journal (part 1)

My first spiritual marker (at least the first one I remember) was from the time I was around 7 or 8 years old. I was "heavily burdened" by shame and guilt over my childish sins. My mother sat in our living room with me at her knees and listened to the confessions of a child. Then she cupped her hands in front of her and told me to put my sins into them. I did, she then lifted her hands toward heaven and released them. Then she told me that I did not have to feel guilty over these things anymore because we had given them to God!

What a perfect picture of grace. No matter how "spiritually mature" I become, this lesson is the one I return to in my darkest hour.


I remember being a 14 years old and attending a church service at a local church. I was not there for any spiritual reason. I think it was more of a "social" reason (in other words a guy). Towards the end of the service (which I'm sure I paid little to no attention to), the pastor asked if anyone would like prayer for healing. For some reason I decided to respond. I had recently been told, after a routine school screening, that I had the signs of scoliosis, a curvature of the spine, that can cause endless years of struggle and medical difficulties. One of the telltale signs was that, when stretched out in front of me, one of my arms was at least 1 1/2 inches longer than the other one.

I had known this pastor my entire life, he was a friend of my parents, and there was nothing extraordinary about him. Without any hoopla, purple tuxedos, or screaming and wailing, he placed his hand gently on my head and prayed a simple prayer. I don't even remember the prayer, it was not noticeably powerful. When he finished praying, I thanked him, and turned, intending to return to my seat. The pastor smiled and asked me if I would like to look at my arms again. I stretched them out in front of me and found them to be exactly the same length.

I have never undergone any treatments for scoliosis of any type. After that day I never had an irregular result from a screening or any other complication or condition resulting from this.

I don't know why God chose to heal me that day. Maybe He just wanted to remind me of His power, maybe it wasn't for me at all, but someone else whose faith needed strengthening. But He did it, and it reminded me of his awesome power and of how real he really is.

I remember being 14 years old and meeting a good looking guy. We were at the mall and I was introduced to him by a mutual friend. I had no idea at the time, that this moment would end up being one of the most significant in my life. But God knew, He knew that night that he was giving a self-absorbed kid a glimpse into the rest of her life.