Seeing God’s Presence Today
Mindfulness can help us stop to notice God’s presence in our lives, but sometimes God does something so cool that we notice even when we are not being particularly mindful. This is one of those experiences. Read until the end because the end is the best part!
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This article has been updated and is an adaptation from a story in 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life. This unique book was written by Lacy Ngo, a dietitian nationally recognized as a top expert in faith-based mindfulness and evidence-based nutrition. She shares the exact steps that, based on science, produce the most dramatic health and weight loss success in her book, 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life. This book is like nothing you have ever seen before. It combines faith and science. Both are crucial when it comes to producing real change because real change involves the mind, body, and spirit. This is an adaption from a story in the book, 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life.
How It All Started
About a year and a half ago, my then six year-old son took an ambulance ride from urgent care to the hospital. Before that ride, he had been on antibiotics but just kept getting sicker. When we arrived at the ER, the doctors diagnosed him with Pneumonia and admitted him to the hospital for five days. After being released, he just couldn’t get rid of that cough and kept getting fevers about every two to three weeks. An X-ray showed that he had a collapsed lung from all these lung issues. They released my son from the hospital in December. It was now June, and he was still coughing, struggling to breathe when he ran, getting tired easily, and getting frequent fevers. He had taken so many antibiotics that I had lost count. He had been put to sleep twice for minor lung procedures.
In June, the doctors decided to get a CT scan to see if he had a condition called Bronchiectasis. The CT scan confirmed he had this condition, which is defined as abnormal widening of the bronchi or their branches, causing a risk of infection. I had never heard of it so, of course, I looked it up online. The things I read terrified me. I was not handling the diagnosis well. I was walking around constantly on the verge of crying, but trying to seem cheerful for my children. Many nights I would pray and let out all of my pent up tears. I was scared of what this meant for my son. I can’t even bring myself to type all of the worries I was feeling. If you are a parent you can probably imagine the fears going through my head.
I Wanted to Cancel
The very same week that I learned of the diagnosis, I wanted to shut myself off from everyone, but our church book club was suppose to meet at MY HOUSE! I came inches from canceling. Most of the book club regulars were not able to come, so I started thinking no one is going to show up anyway. But then a new girl sent me an emailed saying that she would like to come and bring two of her friends. I didn’t want to cancel when new people had expressed interest, so I decided to push through. The funny thing is the new girl who had originally expressed interest was unable to attend, but the two friends she had mentioned in her email did come. These two girls, who only attended this one time, probably didn’t know what they were walking into. I was unorganized and monopolized the whole conversation. I ended up pouring all my emotions out to these brand new people. They were such patient listeners, and although I don’t know if they got much out of book club, I felt much better after that night.
Life Went On…
After that night, life went on. The doctors were trying all kinds of treatments. My son was now on continuous antibiotics three times a week and doing 30-minute treatments twice a day.
Below is a picture of the breathing treatments my son was doing twice a day.
My son was now going to doctors in Rock Hill, Charlotte, and Chapel Hill. Before I knew it, a year had gone by since receiving that initial diagnosis and pouring my heart out to those random new girls at book club.
Can I Ask You A Weird Question?
The doctors decided it was time to talk about having a surgery to remove the damaged lobe of his lung. The doctor gave us a list of surgeons, so I began to go down the list, making calls. I called the first office on the list to set up a consultation with a surgeon in Charlotte, NC. I started talking to the receptionist. She started asking basic questions like, “What is the appointment for?,” and “What is your home address?.” Then she paused and says, “Can I ask you a weird question?” I’m thinking, ‘What in the world is she going to ask me’, but all I said was “Okay.” She then says, “Do you happen to have a book club with St. John’s?” Shocked and confused, I replied, “Yes!” She then exclaimed, “I think I have been to your house!” When I was answering her questions over the phone, she remembered hearing a similar story a year earlier at this book club she had attended once. She then realized she recognized the address I had just given her. She figured out that she and her friend, who also works in the same office, (you know, that other new girl) had been to my house the week my son had been diagnosed a year ago!
Knowing that people at the surgeon’s office knew our story and had known our story since the diagnosis was such a comfort to me.
God’s Plan to Bring Comfort and Guidance was Put into Action a Year Earlier
You know what else? I thought to myself, ‘wow, when I was walking around terrified and wishing I would feel God’s presence, God was right there’. I felt like God was giving me comfort on that book club night. Little did I know, that same book club social would give me comfort not only that very night but also a year later. Did God somehow help me cross paths with these ladies right when my son was diagnosed? Did God know this journey would lead to a big surgery way back then? (Of course God did!) Many of us have learned that God knows all, our past and our future, but to truly witness this was humbling. This experience made me feel like God was giving me a warm hug. I could feel God’s Presence and realized just how present God had been the whole time. As, I processed this, the tears began running down my face and chills began running up my arm.
Today my son is doing well. The surgery was a success! We continue to praise God for warm hugs, comfort, and guidance.
Do you have any stories about experiencing God’s presence, comfort, or guidance?
Please share any of your stories in the comments below. I love these stories!
If you are looking for good books about people experiencing God’s presence in their lives, two of my favorites are The Narrow Road: Stories of Those Who Walk This Road Together (International Adventures)
Want More God Moment Stories? Check these Out
God Moments: We Prayed and Then This Happened!
God Moments: We Ran Out of Gas
About Mindfulness in Faith and Food, LLC & Lacy Ngo MS, RDN
About Lacy Ngo, MS, RDN and Mindfulness in Faith and Food, LLC
Mindfulness in Faith and Food, LLC focuses on how to live your healthiest, happiest, most meaningful life through faith-based mindfulness and evidence-based nutrition.
Several branches fall under the Mindfulness in Faith and Food, LLC umbrella. One is Mindful Vending, which is one of the few dietitian owned and operated vending companies in the nation!
Ngo is also a top expert in faith-based mindfulness and nutrition and is the author of several books including Faith, Mindfulness, & Nutrition, Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals and The Nourishing Meal Builder. You can also find evidence-based nutrition articles, recipes, convenient healthy snack lists, inspiring faith stories, and faith-based mindfulness techniques on her blog, Mindfulness in Faith and Food.
You are free to retain any and all content here for personal use, but need permission to use it anywhere else on the internet.
Oh Sweet Lacy and your precious family,
I/we have always known you are so special! Your knowledge, wisdom and help to others is amazing. It never ceases to amaze me at what you do and how you care for your family, church and friends!
I have had many tough times and have always put my trust in God First, as you do!!
When I look back through the many long illnesses of my family members, I don’t know how you have been so gracious through your trials! I must say that your sharing and putting your life out here to share will touch many people!! You, as we already knew, have been a special blessing by leading in many, many ways, to do many people already!! May God Bless and keep you moving in the way you should go! I know that you are so pleasing to our God!❤️
Wow I don’t know what to say. I hope I am doing what God wants. I pray that I say what God wants me to say, and don’t forget why I am doing this. I feel like it could be so easy to forget why I am putting these stories out there. Your comment is such a good reminder to stay focused on what is important. Watching your strenth through your difficult times is inspiring. I am so glad we both have had God to comfort us through the tough times.
God has such a way of linking people together doesn’t He! I really love Night of a Million Miracles about God linking people together to smuggle a million Bibles into China.
Yes God does! I am in awe every time. I don’t think I have read “Night of a Million Miracles.” I love stories about how God has worked in our lives. Thank you for sharing.