The piercing siren of the ambulance rang in my ears as I was transported to the hospital during a near-fatal heart attack. Questions swirled in my mind as I struggled to understand the pathway that our family had walked. Frequent disruptions of our “normal life” and piles of medical bills resulted from a dozen life-threatening attacks on my family’s health. Six open-heart surgeries, a near-fatal autoimmune disease, brain cancer, a massive heart attack and multiple brain aneurysms forced me to stand at death’s door personally as well as with every member of my family.

During our decades-long season of storms, there were many times that my perception was revolutionized by revelations from God’s Word. One of the most powerful revelations came as I was praying and reading 2 Corinthians 1:4 which declares that God comforts us in our times of trouble so that we can comfort others with the same comfort and encouragement that we received from God. God revealed to me that what I saw as tragedy; He saw as training. And what felt like a “pit of doom and despair” to me, was actually “preparation for a divine destiny.”

God’s wisdom, encouragement and divine intervention has empowered each member of my family to shatter the odds against us and breakthrough to victory! If the Lord can bring us safely through all our storms; He can empower you to conquer whatever you are going through at this moment! God’s purpose in allowing all the adversity we faced was to equip us to be a blessing to others in their times of trouble. God can translate my experience into your encouragement. Let me share with you the life-changing wisdom that God revealed to me through the years.