Sprout #2 - Tori Freeman

Bailey Patterson
Oct 7, 2020
3 min read

Expect the Unexpected

A little over a year ago, I was a newlywed and I felt like I was on cloud nine. Shortly after we got married, I began to have symptoms that would change my life. From January to May, I went to appointment after appointment as doctors tried to figure out what was going on. I finally met Dr. Forbes at the beginning of May. He immediately set up a procedure. When Dr. Forbes walked in after my procedure, he looked concerned. I was expecting him to tell me that I needed medication or that he had not found anything. Instead, he told me that he removed a mass and he couldn’t tell me if the mass was cancerous or not. His face was grim and his tone was unsettling. On top of it all, I would have to wait a week to get the results.

I left the doctor’s office feeling fearful and unsure of what was to come. Over the course of the next week, I prayed more than I ever have. The news was so overwhelming that I could not clear my head. I heard God telling me that I needed to pray when I became overwhelmed with anxiety. I found myself repeating over and over, “It's okay to have fear but it is not okay to live there.” When I am fearful, I tend to let it be all consuming and completely take over my life. I knew that I could not let that happen this time. The only thing that would get me through the week was prayer. I was praying frequently and I had people praying alongside me all week long. There were people that I didn’t even know that contacted me to let me know that they were praying for me.

At the end of the week, Dr. Forbes called and his entire staff was on the phone to deliver the news. My mass was BENIGN. I will never forget Dr. Forbes saying “Mrs. Freeman, the man upstairs is looking out for you because I truly believed that I would not be able to give you good news. The size of the mass that I removed should not have been benign.” The amount of praying that I did that week changed my life. Those moments that I had alone talking to God that week were raw. My emotions were all over the place but I will never forget how much those prayers taught me.

As I continued on with my health journey for several months, I continued to be reminded of how important prayer is. In July, I began battling an ongoing infection that I contracted from food that had not been cooked properly. After many months of praying and trusting in God’s plan, I finally got a clean bill of health right before Thanksgiving.

I am a firm believer in the power of prayer. This unexpected health journey took over my life for almost a year. However, it was a testament to just how powerful prayers are. We serve a God who teaches us to relinquish control and turn over all of our fear. Life throws unexpected things in our paths and we are given a choice. We can either lean on our faith and put all of our trust in God or we can give in to fear. What will you do when the unexpected happens? Will you give in to fear or will you trust in His plan?

XOXO,

About the Author

Tori is a third grade teacher and children's minister in Mount Holly, NC. A hometown girl through & through, Tori is passionate about giving back to the community that built the foundations of her faith at a young age. Her favorite things include the Peanuts gang, learning new recipes, diy art projects, & a good episode of Friends. She is a dedicated supporter of The Wildflower and has been instrumental in the development of my personal journey with Christ.

P.S. She's also a pretty awesome older sister!