The Resurrected King is alive and working!
I am still basking in the goodness of the Lord and how He showed up in my bedroom Tuesday and touched me.
I wrote about it in my previous blog here.
Let me attempt to give you a good explanation of why the total restoration of my speech after nearly three years of communication challenges is so remarkable.
Do you remember when news recently came out that actor, Bruce Willis, was retiring from his movie career due to a condition called aphasia? Well, once the story hit the international news circuit, it sent people searching for more information about his diagnosis.
My husband, Kenya, reminded me, “That’s what you were diagnosed with in 2019”— something neither of us had heard of before my ordeal. I had forgotten what the condition was called, since I was diagnosed with so many different conditions and had trouble keeping up with them all.
But I’m so glad Kenya sparked my memory and that Bruce Willis’s diagnosis is making the public aware of what aphasia is, because living with this condition is not easy.
***
Strokes are the leading cause of aphasia. In my case, a rare allergic reaction to an antibiotic called Bactrim caused me to have a mini stroke and multiple, violent seizures—almost thirty—spanning a four-day period.
My brain took a beating as I lay helpless in the intensive care unit, where it seemed like I would lose my life.
After surviving by the grace of God, I emerged with a brain injury that led to Global Aphasia which disrupts four language functions: speaking, reading, writing, and comprehending what others are saying. One of the most embarrassing aspects of aphasia was my new tendency to say swear words, particularly in moments of frustration or over-stimulation.
Because my brain had lost some language, it filled in the blanks with profanity. That was so hard for me!
Though my medical team explained that this is a normal, albeit embarrassing, occurrence for aphasia sufferers, the commonality of it didn’t make it any easier for me. I had a tough time dealing with the shame. I often condemned myself for not being stronger and better able to control my tongue. In my lowest moments, I felt like a weak, bad Christian and a poor representation of Christ.
I now know that isn’t true, but it was genuinely the way I felt.
The Aphasia Center explains, “No one really knows why cursing is, of all speech, more preserved in aphasia. Even for persons who didn't curse a lot before the stroke, caregivers may be shocked to find their loved one cursing when frustrated.”
I was no doubt shocked and saddened, but my family was incredibly understanding and supportive. Despite them showing me unconditional love and compassion, the fact that I could not do anything to reverse my aphasia diagnosis was devastating to me.
Still, Daily Cup family, I continued praying and believing God for change. As my son, Kaleb, says, “We listen to the doctors, but we always leave the window open for a miracle.”
***
On Tuesday, God opened the windows of Heaven and poured out a blessing. Words I could not pronounce since 2019 suddenly returned to me, and I didn’t know what to do with myself!
I have broken down crying tears of gratitude multiple times since my encounter with the Lord.
Here’s why it’s so mind-blowing. Specialists say, for aphasia patients experiencing symptoms for longer than two or three months after a stroke, and especially after a year, a complete recovery is not likely. Because almost three years had passed for me, and I remained unable to recover my language fully (on top of sustaining a traumatic brain injury that caused irreversible damage), my whole team kept telling me, “Dianna, you have to accept your new normal.”
My cognitive behavioral therapist, Jen, has coached me through numerous tearful sessions during which I grieved over losing my mastery of language. It all just felt so overwhelming.
“You have to accept it,” Jen has repeatedly told me. “The Old Dianna is gone forever.”
While it is true that there are personality changes and differences in post-mini stroke Dianna, God reminded me this week that we can never put Him in a box, and we must believe His report above all else.
It didn’t matter to God that specialists said that if three months passed without the restoration of language that I should prepare to be stuck in that place forever, because He is the Chief Specialist, the Master of the universe, and He has the final say.
He let me wait almost three years before showing up and flexing His power to change my situation.
“There is no such thing as too late or too challenging for the Lord. Christ, our Resurrected King, is still able to perform miracles, and He will perform one for you!”
I told my family that this “too late” recovery reminds me of what Jesus did with Lazarus in John 11. When the Savior heard that His friend was sick and dying, instead of arriving on the scene immediately, Jesus purposely waited for it to be too late. By the time Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had been dead four days. His loved ones were mourning. It was all over, everyone assumed.
But Jesus resurrected Lazarus and called him forth out of the grave. “Loose him and let him go!” commanded Jesus (v. 44). At the word of the Lord, the man who was bound was instantly set free. Those grave clothes had to come off!
In my bedroom, that same Jesus showed up when it was technically too late and told aphasia to loose my tongue and let me go! Oh, bless His name.
It reminds me of Psalm 107:20: “He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.”
I remember hearing the voice of God audibly declare over me,“Woman, thou art loosed” (Luke 13:12)! I get chills just thinking about it. And just like that, His word manifested. Something shifted, literally. You see, in 2019, during my medical crisis, my tongue and vocal cords shifted, impairing my speech. But the Master has made me whole.
God spoke to me and told me to say words I had not been able to say, and when they rolled off my tongue effortlessly, the tears flowed. I was stunned and amazed.
Still am.
***
And how awesome, my friend, that this breakthrough manifested during Holy Week as we remember the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. He reminded me once again, through the demonstration of His miraculous power, that Jesus, the Resurrected King, is still alive and working!
He’s still healing. He’s still loosing captives. He’s still breaking chains. He’s still giving supernatural breakthroughs. He’s still performing miracles.
And He’s still going to perform miracles for you, too. Keep the faith. Always leave the window open for a miracle. I frequently tell you, no matter how long it’s been, don’t stop trusting God. See why I say that? He shows up when you least expect it, so stay in expectation.
Soon, your day of release will arrive, and you will see tangible evidence, just as I have, that the Resurrected King is alive and working in your situation.
I had to share this joy I have with you today to encourage your heart and strengthen your faith. Know this: as long as I live and God gives me strength, I will use my tongue that He has loosed to declare to anyone that will listen that Jesus got up out of the grave on the third day with all power in His hands.
That resurrection power is available to us. I am a witness.
What a mighty God we serve!
Now let’s pray.
God, I thank You for reminding me that You are a yet a miracle-working savior. Thank You that Your power to resurrect is at work even now. Lord, I know and rejoice that You will continue to demonstrate that power, manifest Your will, and complete Your work in my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you desire prayer, please allow me, along with my intercessory prayer team, to stand in faith with you for breakthrough. We would be so honored. We have seen God work over and over again. There is power in agreement. Click here to request prayer now.
As always, thanks for reading and until next time... may today's cup of inspiration uplift, encourage, and empower you!
