Our Story, Part Five

Watching all of this transpire with Kaylee taught me some very important life lessons.  If eating a healthy diet can turn disease around so quickly, why was I ever struggling with the belief that chronic disease might be a part of God’s plan for Kaylee’s life?  People were telling me everything happens for a reason, and that I needed to trust God.  I wonder if it has ever occurred to these people that this reason might actually be a result or consequence of our choices and of living in a fallen world, not God’s will at all.  When we choose to trust God, it does not mean that we have to accept everything that comes our way as being part of His plan for our lives.

If someone were to go throw themself off a bridge and fall to their death, would anyone say that it was God’s will for that person to die?  Of course not!  This death would be contributed to two factors, the free will of man and the law of gravity.  There are many things that come into our lives as a result of free will and laws that have been put into place by God.  In addition to this, we have an enemy!  Yes, God is sovereign over all.  Yet His sovereignty begins with the laws (both physical and spiritual) and the order, which He has set into place.  We have got to be open to the fact that we will never be able to fully comprehend these things.  This is why it is essential that we rely on God's instructions in the Bible, as well as the leading of the Holy Spirit, not our own understanding. 

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”  Proverbs 3:5-6

It is really a skewed way of thinking to attribute anything that is clearly evil to God or His will.  I personally believe that this is a tactic of the enemy, to keep us from necessary lifestyle changes and from praying effectively against the schemes of the enemy.  God’s word warns us:  ^“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” Ephesians 5:15&16   We cannot forget that we have an enemy who is always at work and striving to thwart the perfect plan that God has for our lives. 

As we began this diet with Kaylee, God had made it very clear to me what I needed to do.  I was to follow the direction of Dr. Robbins, but let God guide me.  In other words, Dr. Robbins would point me in the direction that I needed to go, but God would guide me throughout each day.  This was a very important distinction, as there were some things that God would lead me to do differently than what Dr. Robbins was telling me.  For one thing, we allowed Kaylee to have a once a week “cheat.”  Also, Dr. Robbins was in a position where he could not recommend that I take Kaylee off of her medication, yet I already knew that God had warned me of the potential danger over time.  Therefore, I had to let God lead me, and this was one of the most challenging areas for me.  I would have much preferred to be working directly with her doctor, but at this time, it just wasn’t possible.  These doctors did not want to talk nutrition or diet at all.

Weaning her off of her medication completely was a slow process, and required extensive prayer.  I had no idea what was going on inside of Kaylee’s body, so I had to rely on the fact that God did.  I vividly remember when God led me to take her off of her last dose of medication.  I was reading an article about Jordan Rubin, a man who had been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease a few years prior to Kaylee.  Jordan Rubin was able to turn his severe case of Crohn’s disease around with the use of hso (homeostatic soil organisms) probiotics.  He would later go on to become one of the leading natural health experts, as well as the author of the book, “The Makers Diet.”   As I was reading his amazing story, I suddenly had a strong feeling that it was time for Kaylee to come completely off of her medication.  I sat there for a minute after this “feeling” came over me, trying to decide if this was coming from God or if I had imagined it.  I kept on reading and the feeling just seemed to get stronger and stronger.  I decided that I would spend the next day in prayer about it.

When the next day rolled around, however, I continued to feel so strongly that I decided not to give Kaylee her medicine that morning.  I called her into my bedroom and talked to her about it.  I explained that I was taking her “crutches” away and that now she was going to see what she could do on her own.  I let her know how important it was that she tell me if she had any symptoms return at all.  I felt such strength, yet I was terrified at the same time.  I prayed all throughout that day.

The next morning, as we were getting ready for church, Kaylee suddenly ran to the bathroom and started vomiting.  I panicked, believing that I had made a big mistake, and immediately went to get her medicine.  I mixed it up and was about to put it into her mouth, when I heard, “No!”  It wasn’t audible, yet it was so clear that I stopped the spoon right as it was about to enter her mouth.  I stood there for a minute not knowing what to do.  Finally, I put the spoon down, and we left for church.  I remember praying on the way to church and the entire time I was at church.   

I waited to see how she would do the rest of the day, and she did not have another problem.  The next day, when I went downstairs to clean her bathroom, I noticed that it appeared someone had been vomiting in her toilet for quite some time.  I could see evidence around the sides and underneath the toilet.  I called Kaylee down, and questioned her about it.  She then confessed to me that she had been vomiting for a couple of days (prior to my stopping her medication), and that she had been afraid that she was getting sick again.  Naturally, I had a long talk with her about being honest and letting me know everything that was going on.

I put in a phone call to Dr. Robbins as quickly as I could and told him what had been going on.  He explained to me that when medication is no longer needed for inflammation, the body will often begin to reject it and that this could have been why Kaylee had begun vomiting in the first place.  I was amazed that God had been able to let me know to stop the medication as He did.  Kaylee had obviously been struggling with this in secret, and He knew exactly why.  Kaylee did not vomit again after that Sunday morning, and had no more symptoms of any kind.  This is just one example of the amazing ways God led me throughout.

In addition to following the direction of Dr. Robbins and God’s guidance, God also convicted me that I needed to be careful not to openly display anger in front of Kaylee anymore.  This had always been a weak area for me.  Whenever I was mad, I was not good at hiding it.  There had been numerous occasions where I had “lost my cool” in front of her, and God let me know that this too had contributed to her decline.  As hard as it was for me to accept this, I cannot share my story without being completely honest on every level.  It is very painful and humbling to realize that you have been a contributor in any way to your child becoming sick.  All I can do today is praise God for revealing this to me and for giving me many chances to get it right!

Finally, God let me know that I needed to pray every night and ask for Kaylee’s healing.  As I mentioned earlier, my children and I would gather at night and pray.  If we got busy and forgot, I would call her in my room and pray with her.  Some nights I would go and pray over her while she slept.  I made sure to never miss a night.

Now I want to fast forward just a bit, because I truly believe that this is the most significant part of our story.  I believe that if we had stuck with this diet, Kaylee might never have had another problem.  Yet, many things happened that would make it impossible for us to continue this diet to the extreme level that we had started out with.  Although there was a long period of remission following this diet (more than four years), this disease would eventually come back on her in full force when she entered into puberty. 

At this point, Kaylee told me, “I want God to heal me.”  The details of this part of our story are long, and I will talk about it in more depth later.  Kaylee would end up receiving her complete healing during a very special prayer service that God put together for her, on my birthday, August 18th.  During this service, a young college student (whom I had never met) stood up and said, “It is no accident that God chose this day to bring about this healing.  In Luke, chapter 18, Jesus tells us the story of the persistent widow.  God has heard every prayer that you have lifted up to Him for all of these years!” 

I can’t describe the feeling that I had when I heard this.  This precious young woman had no way of knowing the number of prayers I had lifted up or if I had ever prayed at all for that matter!  God was speaking to me through her, and I know that not one of my prayers was insignificant.  

I don’t know why it takes so long sometimes to see our prayers answered.  I don’t pretend to understand the higher ways of God, nor do I understand the continual warfare surrounding our lives.  Yet I believe with all of my heart that it was my persistent prayers that played the most significant role in Kaylee’s healing.  I also know that I was being persuaded in the beginning that I shouldn’t even ask God to heal her.  How is it that so many in the church have come to believe this lie? 

Perhaps because we have prayed and not seen immediate results, this way of thinking has become an easier, more comfortable place, to "settle" …that is... if you are not the one who is sick.  Naturally, the most serious consequences of this lie fall upon those who are sick; those who are quietly suffering and believing that it is wrong for them to even seek prayer for healing.  It is an enormous burden, not only to suffer quietly, but to carry the pressure of believing one must suffer joyfully.  Even in the final hours before Kaylee’s healing, Satan would try to use this lie one last time to stop this prayer service.  Thankfully, our fasting (which I will talk about later) and prayers had already paved the way and this day belonged to God!