The Stories

Story by Christine Weller

When I was a little girl, away on a kids retreat, we were asked to choose a “life verse”. We had been studying and memorizing many verses in that year and we were asked to choose one that we would live by, one that would stay in our hearts and be something we can lean on no matter what trials would come our way. 

I chose Proverbs 3:5-6—“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Be careful what you choose to commit to . . . 

I have many stories of how I learned to trust in God, every situation taught be to lean closer and closer to Him. I learned that sometimes that means trusting Him even when things didn’t make sense. I learned that He made a way, even though I didn’t understand how. I learned that I should trust Him, even if it was hard.

BUT, I wasn’t finished learning. I desired to get closer to Him and deepen my faith. When we allow Him to take us deeper, it means there is more to learn . . . Remember the song Oceans? Yup, that was my prayer—“take me deeper”. 

Be careful what you ask for . . . 

The particular story I am sharing today began around May 3rd, 2019. I started getting headaches every day. After about a week of headache pain, I also noticed that my right eye was blurry. I decided to go to a walk-in clinic to check in on it. I don’t get headaches unless it’s associated with a cold, so I knew something was off, especially with the blurriness. They said it was a sinus infection and prescribed some meds to relieve the infection and told me to take Advil for any other pain. 

Two weeks later, the pain increased and I needed to take Advil or Tylenol every day. Taking pills of any kind freak me out, so I was not a happy camper. I went to see my family doctor to get a second opinion. Since it was only headache pain he said it was migraines, but sent me to get my eyes checked. I was only able to complete part of the eye test while I was there and planned to return in a few days to finish off the testing.

I couldn’t get an appointment to go back within the following week and the pain increased even more. I was practically relying on meds ’round the clock to function. My left eye suddenly got blurry, right in the centre, so I took myself to emergency. All of a sudden, I couldn’t see my face in the mirror with my left eye. They referred me to an eye specialist in Midland who, upon examination, found a lesion of fluid behind my left retina. He referred me immediately to Princess Margaret and asked my family doctor to start with some tests. Yup, they mentioned the “c” word. Time to freak out right?

But, Jesus. 

This was the start of many tests, scans, ultrasounds for my entire body over the period of a month, both with my family doctor and frequent trips to Princess Margaret. Still, the pain increased. Test after test though, the reports were negative. Each time, a different cancer option was ruled out. I was unable to open my left eye by this point and couldn’t see through the crushing pain. Both eyes were turning red. I was tearing up from the pain constantly. Light hurt. I couldn’t read my phone to see the time each morning. The Tylenol and Advil weren’t cutting it anymore.

I was scared. Not knowing what was wrong was devastating. Did I have cancer? What would that mean for me? How was I going to continue caring for my children when I couldn’t see? I asked these questions of God and He simply said, “Do you trust Me?”. 

And I immediately said, “No!”.

And two seconds later, eyes wide, I realized, “I just said “no” to God”.

Trust in the Lord . . . with ALL your heart.” ALL. God wants my whole heart. Not just part of it. 

Of course, we had a heart-to-heart that day and I had to give Him my heart all over again and give Him all of my cares and burdens. 

Here I was. “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Literally. Walking blindly around my house, crawling down steps I could not see. I was not able to prepare meals for my family or see myself in the mirror. I had to get my brother to go with me to some appointments, because I couldn’t see where I was going. 

On the week of July 9th, an answer finally came. They were satisfied that it wasn’t cancer. It was Harada Disease (later diagnosed as Posterior Scleritis). A very rare condition that they don’t know much about, but seeing me in the state I was in, they wanted to start treatment ASAP. Within a few days the pain was drastically reduced and I almost felt normal again. 

I went for a follow up on July 12th. I was so overjoyed! 

Needless to say, they were very pleased with the results.

My Jesus.

After this diagnosis began my journey to recovery. The swelling had crushed most of the nerves in my left eye, eliminating my peripheral vision. The doctors said the body is resilient and could repair itself over time. We’d have to wait and see. Many trial-and-error moments of trying to find the right medication and the right dose, which resulted in many painful relapses. I am now on a safe dosage and the doctors have been happy with every checkup. With my glasses, I have 20/20 vision and I have been pain free for almost 3 years.

So when I look back at this journey so far, those words “walking by faith and not by sight” became very real to me. 

Without trusting that God is with me, I would be a disaster. I would have felt so hopeless. But I knew no matter what the results, God would take me through it. He would be there for me and my family. I had no doubt about that. This was a trial, yes. But I count it as joy (James 1:2-4), so that my story will tell that God is still in control, even when things seem they aren’t and I am now stronger in my faith because of it. 

Maybe you’re going through something similar. Where things are not making sense, there seems to be no end of pain, or suffering or trials. I am here to tell you that you can lean on Jesus. He is a rock that cannot be moved, no matter how hard that storm is blowing. Sometimes it takes these storms to bring us closer to Him. Stay close to Him, lean in and watch Him work miracles. 

Story by Olushola Tanimola

I want to thank God for the opportunity to share with you a testimony of how I came to faith and how God has directed my steps from the beginning of my life to this present time. It is a privilege to reflect on God’s goodness and to share how His hand has been evident in my life’s journey.

I was born into a Christian family and raised with the love of God as the foundation of my upbringing. From a young age, I was introduced to church and taught the values of faith. As I grew, I became familiar with the things of God—participating in church activities, learning Scripture, and understanding the difference between right and wrong. These experiences shaped my early understanding of God and formed the bedrock of my faith.

During my teenage years, my relationship with God deepened in a transformative way. It was during this time that God revealed Himself to me in a personal and undeniable manner, solidifying my faith and directing my path to wholeheartedly believe in Him. I would like to share a story from my high school years that serves as a defining moment in my spiritual journey.

In the early 1990s, when I was in high school—either in grade 11 or 12—our school received an invitation from Modern School to participate in a debate competition. In those days, attending events at other schools was a big deal. It was important to make a good impression, which meant dressing neatly, looking good, and representing our school with pride.

I had a close friend who owned a stylish cap with the logo of the Chicago Bulls, an NBA team that was immensely popular at the time. Michael Jordan, a basketball legend, was at the peak of his career in the 90s, and wearing anything associated with the Bulls was considered trendy and cool. I asked my friend if I could borrow his cap for the event, and he agreed. Wearing that cap made me feel confident and admired. The attention I received was exhilarating, and for a moment, I felt like I was basking in borrowed glory.

After the event, I returned home and carefully hid the cap in our compound, intending to return it to my friend the next day. I chose to hide it at the back of the house because I didn’t want my mother to see it and question why I had brought home something that didn’t belong to me. The next morning, however, when I went to retrieve the cap, it was gone. Someone had taken it.

I was devastated. A wave of anxiety and regret washed over me. What will I tell my friend? Why did I borrow the cap in the first place? These questions haunted me as I prepared for school. When I arrived, my friend was waiting for me, expecting his cap. Reluctantly, I confessed that I had lost it. He was furious and even threatened to come to my house and report the matter to my mother. This filled me with even more fear and regret—my mother must not hear about this.

Desperate to resolve the situation, I promised my friend that I would buy him a new cap and asked for three weeks to gather the money. However, I knew that saving enough from my pocket money would take much longer—possibly three to four months. The weight of the situation caused me many sleepless nights. I couldn’t stop thinking about how to make things right.

One day, a thought occurred to me: Go to church and pray. It felt like a gentle nudge from God. The following day, after school, I went to church and poured out my heart in prayer. I asked God to help me resolve the situation. I prayed for a miracle, trusting that He would make a way where there seemed to be no way.

God answered my prayer in a way I could never have imagined. About a week later, my mother sent me on an errand to buy groceries. As I was on my way, I saw my friend from a distance—and to my astonishment, he was wearing the very same cap! I hurried over to him and asked, “You found your cap?” He nodded and said yes. I pressed further, “Why didn’t you tell me?” He couldn’t give a clear answer. I then asked, “Where did you find it?” Again, he was evasive and couldn’t provide a proper explanation.

At that moment, I realized that God had intervened. The cap was back with its rightful owner, and the burden I had been carrying was lifted. This seemingly small event became a profound reminder of God’s care and faithfulness. It showed me that no matter how trivial or overwhelming a situation might seem, God is able to provide a solution in His perfect way.

This experience became a cornerstone of my faith. It taught me to trust God in every circumstance—whether in good times or bad, on the mountaintop or in the valley. Over the years, I have come to see that God is always present, working behind the scenes in ways we may not immediately understand.

Fast-forward to today, and my journey with God continues to deepen. I have learned that anyone who truly experiences or taste God will come to acknowledge His goodness and faithfulness. This story from my youth reminds me that God is not just a distant figure but a loving Father who cares about every detail of our lives.

Thank you for allowing me to share this testimony. I hope it encourages you to trust God in your own journey, knowing that He is always faithful and good.