Rejoice in the Lord Always; Again I will say, Rejoice

What do you do when you’re faced with something so out of your control? Is your response to go into “fixer” mode, spiral in anxiety, feel hopeless? Is it to complain and think “woe is me!”? I think we have all felt a range of those emotions.

But what if we stop ourselves and remind ourselves of who our God is?

I pray this testimony serves to uplift you, to encourage you and to ultimately point you to Jesus and to honor His name.

Let’s back up to the end of 2024. I was training for my first full marathon after finishing my fifth half marathon (yes I still think that’s crazy 🤪). I started getting sharp pains in my abdomen and thought I had appendicitis, so I went to the doctor and we found a 10 cm cyst (the size of a softball). Unfortunately, I had to pull out of my marathon training to focus on healing. I had surgery at the beginning of 2025 where they removed a benign cyst - Praise God - but they also had to remove my right fallopian tube since it was so intertwined with the cyst.

Recovery was a little more difficult than I thought it was going to be. When they told me there would be four small incisions and the surgery would only take 45 minutes, I was like “Oh I’ll be up and going in a few days!” Wrong. It hurt to sit up, get up and move for the first full week. When I finally made it through the first week I still had trouble doing daily tasks without assistance. It was humbling to say the least. I thank God I had my sister help me for the first few days, then my mom, who rerouted her flight back from Hawaii to Houston, to help the rest of the time. Slowly, but surely, I made it through those first few weeks, then months. After a couple months I felt good as new, and I really didn’t give it a second thought!

Fast forward to summer 2025. My back started to hurt really bad and I thought I had injured it due to running or lifting weights. It got to the point where I would wake up in the middle of the night in so much pain. It was this deep ache that no amount of stretching could fix. I started physical therapy in October hopeful that would be the fix I needed to get back to 100%! It helped a little bit, but after three months I was still waking up in the middle of the night with intense back pain and still couldn’t do any lower body workout. I could go on walks, but my back would still tighten up and cause a lot of restless nights. My PT suggested I go see my OBGYN because they suspected endometriosis. I thought that was a stretch since I had surgery a year prior and the doctors didn’t mention anything.

Well after a CT scan, two ultrasounds and an MRI (my literal worst nightmare), I was diagnosed with stage 3 endometriosis and my doctor told me I needed surgery… again. She said that my back pain was caused by endometriosis spreading to other organs and leaving scar tissue that “glues” things together. A more concerning issue, my left, and only, fallopian tube was dilated. In her words, "I will salvage it as best as I can.”

One appointment and I was told that endometriosis was so extensive that it was affecting other organs, and could potentially take away the possibility of conceiving naturally in the future. I cried, my mom cried, not the news I wanted to hear… ever.

But God.

This year, He has created opportunities for me to seek Him, to be drawn closer to Him, to rely solely on Him. Through the ups and downs of 2026, He was preparing my heart to know Him as my Abba Father, my Provider, my Rock, my Deliverer, where I seek refuge. He has been graciously showing me that He is all I need. This is not a story to puff myself up, but to show you the overwhelming peace and joy that is found in Him.

When I walked out of that appointment, I cried out, “Lord!” I thought to myself, “thank God I have God, and He is not some imaginary thing I have false hope in. He is the one true God. He is the author and finisher of my faith (Hebrews 12:2), the Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End (Revelation 22:13). Through His sacrifice, I get to spend eternity with Him (John 3:16), I have a place in Heaven (John 14:2-3), I am a daughter of the King (2 Corinthians 6:18) and share His inheritance (Romans 8:17).”

Calling to mind the true promises I have in Him filled me with joy. What a God! A God who prepares us for the storms of life and who stands with us during those storms. A God who reminds us of His character, who brings the scriptures to mind, who comforts us, who blesses us. That is my God. Beyond the hope I have in salvation through His sacrifice, I know He is the Great Physician, and by His stripes I am healed! I do not let a medical diagnosis define who I am, but I am defined about who HE says I am. I have great hope that He will deliver me from this diagnosis and I will stand firm in that. The enemy will not steal my joy, yes and amen!

This does not take away the heartache I would have if my fallopian tube is damaged beyond repair and I would never be able to get pregnant. That would be heart wrenching, and would take a considerable amount of time to come to terms with. I know that this is not from Him. He has good plans for my life, plans to give me a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). He also sees children as blessings and he wants to bless us (Numbers 6:24-26). But even in that pain, I know He is near (Psalm 34:18), I know He is good (Psalm 136:1), and He is where the joy is (Psalm 16:11).

My dad recently had the opportunity to preach at my hometown church, and the title of his message was, “Crisis: Weathering the Storms of Life.” He put together a “playbook” on what to do when you are faced with trials and tribulations, which we will all face throughout our lives here on earth. It was such a sweet reminder that everything we could ever need in this world is found in the Bible. Let me break it down:

1. Don’t be surprised

   • Soldiers in wartime aren’t surprised when there is gunfire, just as we should not be surprised when the enemy tries to attack

   • 1 Peter 4:12 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.”

2. Remain calm and do not be anxious

   • Don’t panic or freak out

   • John 14:1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.”

3. Control your thoughts

   • The enemy wants you to think the worst is going to happen

   • 2 Corinthians 10:5 “... and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”

4. Remember God is with us, even when we feel alone

   • Enemy wants you to separate yourself, like a lamb unto a wolf

   • Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

5. Turn To God

   • Just as the disciples turned to Jesus in the storm in Mark 4

   • Psalm 34:17-18 “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

6. Profess His promises

   • Call out to Jesus: life and blessing, confess God’s promises

     • God is for me, no weapon formed against me shall prosper, favor, victory, triumph with God, speak to the mountain

   • Proverbs 18: 20-21 “A man's belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled. Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”

7. Be thankful

   • Be thankful for trials and tribulations?? Sounds counterintuitive, but we should give thanks in all things, not for all things

   • James 1:2-4 “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

8. Pray

   • James 5:13 “Is anyone among you suffering (afflicted)? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.”

9. Resist the enemy

   • In order to resist him, you must first recognize that the attack is from the enemy

   • Let him know you are onto his lies and he has been defeated and has no authority

   • James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

10. Recall previous victories

    • No doubt we have already endured previous storms and God delivered us safely

    • Psalm 77:11-12 “I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.”

So friend, when you face the trials and tribulations of our broken world, be sure to remember the promises that are found in Him. They will comfort you beyond comprehension and give you true hope that the world could never offer. Be ready to combat the lies of the enemy and declare victory that is found in our Lord Jesus Christ!

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints." Ephesians 6:10-18

Finally, I ask for prayer. My surgery is June 8, so please pray for calm nerves leading up to the surgery, for my doctors as they perform the surgery, and for my body to heal quickly afterwards. I have documented all the prayers throughout this and God has specifically answered eight of them - two of them were answered within ONE HOUR! Prayer is powerful, so please join me in prayer :)

Pictures are just for giggles. Ultrasounds are not fun, vanilla sliq is so gross, and these are sonograms are of the cysts (the sucker was a reward lol). Throughout it all, I have seen the goodness of God, and sometimes you just need to laugh through it.