Stripes

Ever since she had her first menstrual
period at the age of thirteen
She had dreaded that time of the month
because of the pain
Unlike her elder sisters and friends who
go through their menstrual period without 
any stress
Her period was always a time of pain and 
agony
She had to be rushed to the hospital several
times because of the pain
It always felt as if she was being cut into
two right from her waist downwards
Some of the drugs the doctors gave her
didn't help at all
The drugs made her numb and the flow
sometimes become irregular as a result
She didn't know what to do
Some friends of hers told her to start having
sex regularly
They said "sex" was the cure
Others said it was pregnancy
"When you get pregnant and start having
babies, it will become a thing of the past"
She read many articles on google
She needed to find a cure to the malady
The pain keeps everyone in her family awake
and at a point people started getting irritated
and impatient with her
THey grew numb to her pain and turned a blind
eye to her monthly cry of agony
When she was seventeen, somebody gave her
a tablet
The tablet was effective and she felt she had
finally found a solution to her dilema
But some months down the line the drug
disappeared from the market
She was told it had been banned because
of some side effects that people complained
about
It was a sad day for her
When her period came that month
The old pains came with it
Her bones hurt, her muscles hurt, she had cramps
The pain was unbearable
A week after her period, she met a guy
She went to fetch water down the street
and he followed her and started rapping
He wasn't her first toaster but he was different
His family just moved into one of the government
housing projects in their estate
With the bucket of water on her head
She said "Yes"
She had just finished secondary school and
she felt she was ready
Weeks later, they started having sex
He was an undergraduate 
She was awaiting her University matriculation
examination results
It wasn't all about love for her
She wanted to try out the "sex" theraphy that
was recommended by some of her friends
It didn't work!
Sex didn't stop it
What sex did was brought her someone who
was new to her pain and showed a lot of care
unlike her family members who had grown 
numb to her pains
Her boyfriend told his mother about her monthly
woes
Two weeks later, he returned with some herbs for her
He said his mother got the herbs from their village
She was to boil the herbs in a pot full of water
and honey and drink the water after it cools
She did it
For the first time since she had her first mestrual 
period her flow came painlessly
Wow!
She was very grateful
Something good came out of the relationship
She had not lost her virginity in vain!
Yipee!
Then she got pregnant and had to do an abortion
It was not the route she planned to go in life
She told her boyfriend she wanted to go celibate
The whole sex thing was a bad idea from the 
beginning
She did it because she assumed there was some
truth in the suggestions of some of her friends
that sex helps with the pain of her monthly period
It was a lie
Getting pregnant and having an abortion were
not part of the plan for her
Her boyfriend did not understand
He assumed she was just trying to break up with him
He suggested condoms and all
She just wanted to stop
Six months later, she got pregnant again
It was the last straw
Most of the time she slept with him just
to please him
She had tuned off the sex in her mind
Getting pregnant the second time was unforgivable
She had another abortion and walked out of the
relationship
By September that same year, she gained admission
into the University
Inevitably, she exhausted the herbs her ex's mother 
got for her
She was never told what it was made up of
She tried reaching out to her ex-boyfriend
He saw it as "punishment" time for the evil
she did by abandoning him
The pain returned
She was older and had found a way to cope
with it without making a fool of herself like
she used to do in the past
But there were times the pain was just unbearable
and she would cry all night
A friend of hers invited her to church
She was born into a Christian family but her
family never took religion seriously
She went to the church and enjoyed herself
immensely
She decided to join
She started believer's class, then she got baptised
One Sunday morning, she received the baptism
of the Holy Spirit
She didn't plan it but Jesus totally altered her
worldview
She became dedicated to her walk with the Holy
Spirit
But the menstrual pain persisted
It seemed it was a cross she would have to bear
all the days of her life
Then the brother in jeans and T-shirt came to
minister in her church
She in terrible pain throughout the service
Just after the service, the Pastor of the church
called the Brother in jeans and T-shirt
He asked that the Brother in jeans and T-shirt
pray with her for her healing
The brother in Jeans and T-shirt prayed for her
He told her she would be relieved but 
she would have to learn to do the word
rather than hear it
There is a way to trigger the promises of God
in our walk with the Holy Spirit that does not
require any external help or support
When you see the Word, do it!
Just do the word regardless of circumstances!
Just disregard the pain and do the word!
She just nodded
He doesn't understand
The pain she was feeling was too much for 
her faith
He prayed for her
She was relieved
She was able to go home by herself
Later that evening, the pain came back
with a vengeance
She was rushed to the hospital
She called the brother in Jeans and T-shirt
He drove to the hospital to see her
He laid hands on her head and sang the song
of angels
She slept off while he was still humming 
She didn't know when he left
All she saw was light everywhere
Then it felt as if she was in a theatre
Six doctors walked into the room
It was as if she came out of her body and
watched them as they worked on her body
They cut her and removed all sorts from
her womb
They replaced all her organs with shinny
new ones
Then they walked out of the theatre
She saw it all with her eyes!
When she woke up, the pain was gone
The drip that was set for her was hanging
neatly on one side of the room
The atmosphere of her room was smelling
of jasmine and covered in lapis lazuli
She called the brother in jeans and T-shirt
Immediately
She screamed and shouted excitedly
"I have been healed! I saw angels work on my
body, they changed my body parts and healed
me completely. 
The Lord answered all my prayers 
I have been healed!"
WOW!
Hallelujah!
Glory be to God!
They celebrated and gave thanks
God has done it!
A month later, her period came and the pain
hit her full blast
What!
It was as if she was never healed
She called the brother in Jeans and T-shirt
"I don't understand, I am dying here,
what happened to the vision and the atmosphere
I experienced? Please come and pray for me"
The brother in Jeans and T-shirt prayed with her
He told her to get up from her sick bed and start
acting out the reality she saw
You were healed but unless you act healed
you will remain sick
Just get out of the bed and take a walk!
She did
Every step felt like walking on fire, but the
more she walked, the more the pain abated
It wook twenty minutes for her to be back to
full strides
By the end of the day, the pain was totally gone
She got it!
For months after that experience
The symptoms of the pain will show up
She disregarded it and lived her life, sometimes
she would take a stroll while praying in the spirit
under her breathe
Eventually the symptoms stopped totally!

PS: She is happily married with a baby girl
The event happened in Ketu-Alapere, Lagos (2017)
Supernatural experiences are good but they 
always wear off
If you receive spiritual blessings carnally, it
won't last
Mental assent is not Faith
The power of Faith is in it's doing!
Jesus said we should be DOERS of the word
and not hearers only
I have heard many people (There is even a website
or blog dedicated to this) That when people are
healed by Supernatural means (Faith healing)
it doesn't last!
This is true as long as the person that was healed
remains carnal and walks in the flesh
Citizens of Zion are not led by their senses
Symptoms are noise to us
We are Word practitioners
We walk by Faith and not by sight

GSW's Notes: I write this boldly because I have
experienced it personally
I was sick at a point in my life
I had holes in my intestine
Doctors gave their prognosis
India was mentioned as a possible destination
for my operation
I had colonoscopy and other tests done
I was in so much pain everyday, i thought
i would die
A day came!
I rememebred the stripes of Jesus
I know they were for my healing
I shouldn't have to suffer needlessly
I started living normally again
Wearing my belt instead of braces
praying in the spirit for long hours and
living as Christ lived
it's been years
I didn't lose my healing and the holes were
all gone!
Jesus fixed me!
He will fix you too