What's Your Life Verse?

Written by Geo Bowman 

Last week, we had the opportunity to go to Arkansas to visit a fellow church and learn from them. We learned a whole lot and dreamed about what’s coming for our church. One of my favorite moments of the whole trip was a creative meeting they had on Monday. They basically sat down and talked about what went well and not so well on Sunday, amongst other things. As I was listening to their thoughts, they began talking about the series they had been on for the past couple of weeks. It’s called “Life Verse.” They have basically chosen people from the congregation to share about their life verse, and how much those verses have sustained them through difficulties and trials. As I was reflecting on the different seasons of hardship I’ve gone through in my life, I remember a particular season I went through and the verse that sustained me through it.

When I was 19, I was diagnosed with a tumor. At the beginning, lines were blurry and doctors were very uncertain as to where exactly the tumor was located and what kind of tumor it was. All we knew was that it was located in my head. We didn’t know if it was located in the brain or just somewhere in the skull. I visited several doctors who had mixed opinions about my situation. Most of those opinions were not what I wanted to hear. As a young adult, you never think this could be the end of your life. In all the turmoil of hospital visits, scans, and tears, I remember one specific instance where someone said: “The Lord is going to heal you miraculously.” As days went by, I kept waiting for the Lord to heal me like that person had said, but everyday I woke up, the tumor was still there. Did I mention it was very visible? It was the size of a ping pong ball that I had to cover with my hair. 

One day, we had an appointment with the neurosurgeon. I remember exactly where I was sitting. As I waited for my name to be called, I heard a whisper from the Father that said, “I need you to go through this.” I immediately knew my healing was not going to be like everyone else was praying or expecting it to be. In a way, my heart was broken because I was afraid, but at the same time, a peace like I’ve never felt before embraced me like a weighted blanket. 

Although I didn’t know what was going to happen to me, Psalm 139: 5 became the anthem of my soul. It says, “You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.” There’s so much comfort in knowing that the Lord is with you regardless of the circumstances. Not only is He with us, but he surrounds us with His love, peace, and hope. 

After being at the hospital for two weeks, I had surgery. The tumor had been successfully removed. As I was trying to wake up from the anesthesia, one of my doctors was ecstatic. I could not understand what was going on, but somehow I remembered what he said. He said, “Geovanna, I hope you believe in miracles because this surgery sure was one. We were expecting your surgery to be much more complex than it was. We thought we were going to have to dig in to find the tumor, but it turned out to be just fat. That is not what the scans showed.” 

It’s been more than 10 years since I’ve had surgery, and the tumor is long gone. The only thing I still carry with me and will always carry is the scar, and I’m okay with that. This scar reminds me of a faithful Father that has been, is, and will always be with me. Our Father in heaven will never leave us nor forsake us. A tumor later, I know that fully well.