Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Radiant Woman Summit

Hope in the Hard Places: Kaye’s Story of Hope and Healing

It’s easy to talk about the good moments in our lives, the ones of blessings and promise; but what about the hard ones – moments that came and wore us down, moments that came and broke us, the ones we’d rather forget and others we’d like to remain hidden.

But the Lord brought you through it.

I’d like to welcome you to the Radiant Woman Summit – a place and time for women to connect, share, and impart value into one another.

When I thought of the Radiant Woman Summit, I thought about how best to share – the format, the material, scripture even, and the connectibility.

After talking with my husband one night, this format came to mind: share your stories – even the hard ones. I thought, “How will I tell my story, because there’s so much of it? Where will I start?” And the Lord said, “You don’t have to share it all at one time. Just share them one at a time.”

That’s what this Radiant Woman Summit is all about – it’s about sharing our genuine experiences with one another, whether good or bad, and not having to be in perfect condition.

I’m here to speak to the broken-hearted, to the woman who has gone through a pivotal circumstance within her life and is seeking answers concerning it. There are many stories and experiences that we can share together that can encourage one another. And throughout this summit, many life stories from Radiant Women just like you will be heard along the way. I pray that you’ll find hope and the encouragement of healing as you come to this space of gathering, inspiration, and rejuvenation.

As I begin to tell my story, I think of the woman with the issue of blood, and I compare myself to her because I did not know what was going on with my body, and neither did any of the doctors. Yet, painful issues with bleeding persisted, and it impacted all areas of my life.

Years before, I’d been having oddly painful menstrual cycles, and after going to my doctor, found out that that my cells were pre-cancerous. This cycle of abnormality set the stage for clusters of hemorrhagic cysts that were to be found on my ovaries in years to come. The amount of pain that I dealt with was insurmountable. During these times, I would have violent vomiting sessions, with pain so intense that I would involuntarily relieve myself – that is a part of my story that I’d rather stayed hidden. The pain was so severe that it would cause a state of shock in my body.

I was the woman with the issue of blood.

I felt hopeless and that I was going to be stuck with this affliction for the rest of my life without any method of answers or resolve. The overflow of that pain impacted other areas of my body to where my left side was left with an incredible pulling and twisting feeling. Something changed inside of me – and it was something that I had no control over, something that I couldn’t give a solution for. I remember often saying, “I just want this to be over!”

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I remember the first night awakening to this experience, and things just got worse and worse, and I remember my husband, Seneca, after staying by my side wiping my arms and forehead, asking, “Would you like to go to the hospital?” Without hesitation, I softly said, “Yes.” My skin had gotten cold and clammy, but I was burning up inside and there was nothing that presented a solution to change my circumstance. I remember that when I got to the hospital, the staff doctor actually said that it was good that I’d gotten there when I did because I had gone into a state of shock and could have died.

I think of my story, and I hear, “But you made it.” And by the grace of God, I did.

Someone needs to hear this story because they are going through such a similar state of change in their life, and they don’t know what to do. I want to be that source of encouragement for you.

‘How did my set of circumstances change for the better?’ you may ask.

Those painful experiences in my health journey made such an impression on my life in more ways than one. It left me with a strain on the left side of my body, one that made me feel like I was twisted and walking to the left. Over the years, God did relieve and take the burden of my pain away.

I want you to know that YOU WILL GET THROUGH THIS, SISTER. Because I did, and God will give you His strength and His courage to get through those moments of struggle.

My story is not to alarm, but to give you a shared experience – an experience that for so long I prayed for healing and for God to remove from me.

As I was finishing my nightly prayers late one night – going into the early morning hours of the new day, October 19, 2019, in fact – I’ll never forget this day as long as I live…God just gave me the feeling to “turn to the left.” So, I did. And I just kept turning and turning and turning until I felt the urge to “Stop!” When I opened my eyes, I realized that the terrible twisted feeling I’d felt for so long was gone away. I was SO overjoyed and ran to my husband and hopped around to show him that the twisted feeling was gone! It brought about such a pivotal moment of change in my life because God not only took away the residue of my experiences, but He also told me that it was up to me to maintain it. So, I must take ownership of that beautiful gift; and as I took possession of my healing then, I take possession of my healing now – by sharing the details of my story.

Do I still have painful moments? Are my hemorrhagic cysts still there? Yes, but God has lifted the burden of my pain, and I know that my experience with God on that night has made all the more difference.

The woman with the issue of blood pressed and persisted, and God gave her a renewed experience and a new position in life (Matthew 9:20-22). And that is the experience that I am walking in today.

I was reminded of this song as I concluded my writing, and I thought it would be nice to share with you: “He Touched Me.” As the woman with the issue of blood touched Him, the power of God touched her.

God is a life-changer who is close to your circumstance, and through His power, you will be made whole. I pray that you find hope, encouragement, and healing in this shared experience and that you will find the inspiration to share your story, too.

Be well, my sisters, and daughters of the King, and may the contents of this Radiant Woman Summit be a wonderful blessing to you!

– Kaye Howard –

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