In conclusion of what I will term “the trilogy” of my blog, the final component of this three-part testimonial ends with a reflection upon another personal healing that occurred a few years ago. Those who were involved with my life back then will remember what I am about to share very well. While I would not consider this as scary as the neurological issues I experienced prior to this, it was equally frustrating and debilitating. With that being said, join me as “Trey talks,” once again, about a season of my life that ended with nothing short of God’s miraculous intervention.
This season of my life lasted for about 6 months in 2022 – ironically enough, about the same length of time as the previous trial I experienced, detailed in “Healing Journey #1.” In contrast to that experience, this ailment all started with a brief sickness (probably Covid). I remember getting really sick for just a few days – nothing too major – or so I thought. I really didn’t think too much of it. Even so, I remember where I was when the issues started that would plague me for the next 6 months…
I remember me and my brother were watching a movie. I even remember the movie we were watching, “Field of Dreams.” My brother had never watched it all the way through, so, as big baseball guys, I made it my immediate mission to watch the movie “asap,” as I considered it unacceptable that my brother had never watched it – the baseball guy that he is. So, to “paint a picture,” there we were, watching Field of Dreams. All I can say is about halfway through the movie, I felt my heart start to behave very strangely. The best way I can describe it is it felt like my heart was fluttering – skipping beats and beating in a very wild, random pattern. I had never experienced anything like it before, but I knew something was not right. I could actually feel my heart freaking out. I was very confused and bewildered as to what was happening, but, in classic “Trey fashion,” I said nothing at the time. Just like the previous story, I would eventually be forced to say something.
I hoped that whatever I experienced was just an isolated incident. I went to bed that night without saying anything, just hoping and praying that everything would be back to normal in the morning. It wasn’t. To spare you the lengthy details of the following weeks, suffice it to say that the erratic heart behavior did not subside, but actually got worse. What I was experiencing soon progressed from a curious annoyance to extremely worrisome and, eventually, essentially debilitating.
Simply put, the heart palpitations progressed into occasional “episodes” of nothing less than true fear and gravity. The episodes would seemingly strike randomly, without rhyme or reason, most of the time when I was at rest. This is an important detail – as it ruled out the clinical prospect of the issues being related to panic or anxiety.
Once the episodes became consistent and pervasive, I finally took the plunge and scheduled an appointment with a cardiologist. In between “episodes,” I was still living as normal of a life as I could. Anyone who knows me knows that I work out 4 days a week at a gym, and really prioritize health and fitness. I love being physically active. I was still doing that, as for whatever reason exercise seemed to alleviate my issues for a few hours afterward. I was also in the final throes of my last semester at seminary, interning at a church in Chattanooga as well – preparing for the future. I say all of that to say that I had not “laid down” and ceased to live a normal life. The appointment with the cardiologist would change that for the foreseeable future.
The cardiologist recommended the cessation of all physical activity, apart from walking, for the foreseeable future. While he did not think the problems were too serious, much to my annoyance and chagrin, he did recommend I stop working out until the issues subsided. He also told me that I would need to wear a heart monitor for a few weeks, in addition to scheduling a electrocardiogram and ultrasound on my heart. In the meantime, I would just have to continue to hope and pray that the heart problems would eventually cease.
The appointment was pretty frustrating. I felt like the doctor didn’t take me seriously. The biggest “gut-punch” was essentially being told to lay down and do nothing for a few months. Anyone who knows me knows that is the antithesis of my personality. So, with these instructions, I made the best I could of an annoying and debilitating situation. For many months I would just go walk at the Greenway where I lived in Cleveland, Tennessee, sometimes spending hours out there – just walking, listening to music and podcasts, and praying. This replaced my time at the gym, and I probably would have lost my mind if this outlet was not available to me. I also heavily leaned upon my church family that I developed throughout my internship, as my biological family lived far away, and my brother was gone almost all the time due to his job. I became very close to them throughout this season, and what began as an internship turned into a genuine love and connection that still exists for me to this day. I honestly don’t know what I would have done without them.
I graduated from seminary in late May – wearing a heart monitor underneath my gown. Around this time I was also supposed to go on a mission trip to Scotland, which me and my brother had been looking forward to with anticipation for a long time. Long story short, we ended up not going because of my condition (we did go last October, and I’ll definitely talk about that in the future). This was a huge disappointment, and I entered the following weeks after graduation with more uncertainty than ever.
So here I was in an all too familiar situation – one that I never thought I would return to. Fear, uncertainty, and an inevitable, consequential degree of depression were my constant companions. I was alone almost all of the time. My heart issues were not improving, and probably getting worse in all actuality. All I had was my faith. As a famous man once said, “these were the times that tried men’s souls.”
As I experienced years prior, I was constantly faced with a daily choice – a choice to give into fear and despair, or to abide in a place of faith and hope. On one fateful day, I made the choice once again to truly press into my faith in a good God – the one that healed me before – and the one that I believed would heal again. I spent this day, as I spent many days, just building my faith – reading scriptures, praying, and watching preachers on Youtube. Throughout the course of these events, I found myself watching a sermon from one of my favorite ministers – David Diga Hernandez.
As I’m sure you can imagine, the video was about healing. While my previous healing weighed heavily on me – and I knew that He could do it again – sometimes you need to join your faith with another. Life has a unique way of introducing doubt, even when you have already seen and experienced the miraculous, and sometimes the faith of another will carry you through. I found myself in need of this at that moment…to join my faith with another.
During the prayer, I remember experiencing what I can only describe as an explosion of life, joy, and peace inside of my chest. Those who have had a real, genuine encounter with Christ will know what I mean. I remember right then and there experiencing a change in the rhythm of my heart for the first time in months. I could actually feel my heart recalibrate itself and start to beat normally. I got up out of my bed immediately – praising God – truly believing and thanking Him for His dramatic healing in my life, once again!
In the following days the healing was confirmed. I remember going on my daily walk at the Greenway and taking note that my heart seemed to be beating normally. While there were still some erratic beats here and there, the return to normalcy was tangible and distinct. I returned to the gym soon after, and also experienced no issues or difficulties. My blood pressure returned to normal, I felt normal, and I returned to my daily routine. I have been living with no issues ever since. My heart functions completely normally.
I wrap this up by imploring whoever is reading this one more time – give Jesus a chance. Jeremiah 29:13 says that you will find Him when you seek after Him with all of your heart. Call out to Him today – give him a true, genuine, honest chance. He wants a relationship with you more than you want it for yourself. He died for you, and through his sacrifice, you can enter into an abundance of life – even in the midst of the worst trials and tribulations the world has to offer. If there is anything that my experiences have related – anything at all – I hope it is this point: that you are hopeless without Him, and life in Him is the ultimate remedy to life itself.
With that, I’ll stop talking until next time…
Trey