“Be careful what you pray for.”

The words of the adage have never been truer than on Saturday, February 21st. The night before, I had accidentally fallen asleep on my right side and didn’t realize my mistake until about 1 am. By that time, I could feel the effects of having bile reflux, gastritis, and GERD all at the same time. I quickly rolled over onto my left side and prayed that my 6 hours of sleeping on the correct side of my body would undo any damage caused by sleeping on the incorrect side of my body for only God knows how long.

However, that prayer was uttered a bit too late.

When I woke up that morning, I had pain in my chest and a slight headache. Ever since the endoscopy 12 days earlier, I had been popping prescription medication like candy as my doctors and I worked to navigate the symptoms that my body had been experiencing. I had changed my eating habits… to an extent… but that morning I realized that I needed to do better. Continuing to indulge in some comforts and luxuries as I had before was going to send me to an early grave. The pain in my chest, the headache, and the high blood pressure reading that morning told me one thing- prayer indeed works.

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While I do not remember exactly when, I do remember the prayer. I asked God to help me make better food choices and lead a healthier life. I was specific in my prayer, asking God to spare my teeth (often the fall guy for many of my poor decisions) and my finances (the other scapegoat for my life) as He worked to make me all-around healthier. It mattered greatly to me that as I prepared to step into my 40s, I left behind the high levels of stupidity that plagued my 30s. With no actual mathematical figures calculated, I had estimated that I had spent/lost over $50,000 in my 30s due to credit card debt, health costs, and dental costs. And with my 40th birthday being 6 months and 1 day away, I am determined to never live that foolishly again.

So I prayed.

For months on end (maybe even years), I prayed that God would help me to be healthier. I did not want to be that person whose body looked or felt older than it was. Yet at this point, my 39-year-old self has teeth like a 60-year-old, debt like an irresponsible teenager, and body ailments like a 70-year-old. Yes, I am beyond grateful for life, yet I know that my Father desired (and still desires) more for me.

And God answered my prayer.

It all started last year when God told me to take things off my plate (in hindsight, I think He meant that literally and figuratively…). He had me stepping back from many of the things that I believed were “essential” to my life and career, and instead immediately threw me into focusing on my mental health. Once I really started focusing on my mental health, my body slowly started to crumble. First, a tooth needed to be pulled and replaced with an implant. Next, perimenopause sent my ADHD into overdrive, and then the rest of the dominoes soon began to fall.

The dizzy spells.
The ear popping.
The ear ringing.
The calcification in my right breast.
The continued tenderness on that ankle that I injured back in December 2024.
The acid reflux.
The heartburn.
The nosebleeds.
The itchy scalp.
The mouth ulcers.
The dental issues.
The lower back pain.

Even as the list continues to grow, my faith in God remains undeterred because I am standing on His promises over my life. However, I am beginning to realize what has always been true about me- I am stubborn, and God has to deal with me differently.

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Yes, indeed, God has always answered my prayers, but what I have neglected to mention is that as a kinesthetic learner, I often have to experience difficulty in order to learn not to go through it again. I recall a moment in my youth when my mother had just finished ironing, and she unplugged the iron. In my young ignorance, I assumed that once you unplugged something, it was no longer hot. As such, I touched the iron with my whole hand and burned myself. What did I learn that day? Hot things remain hot even if they are turned off. It was a one-and-done moment, and I have never burned myself in that manner again. Likewise, God has often allowed me to endure a moment of displeasure with the knowledge that I will not continue to behave or move the same.

And right now, the displeasure is pounding like a jackhammer in my chest.

I asked God for this. I asked Him to help me eat better, live better, manage my finances better, save more, invest more, and live an overall healthier life. I needed God to overhaul every aspect of my life- kind of starting from scratch- and that is exactly what He is doing. Each ache reminds me that God is near and working on answering my prayer… and fulfilling His promise to me. I have to recall the words of Tasha Cobbs Leonard’s song and be encouraged because while I may be breaking, I am gracefully broken in Christ.

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Beloved, yes, YES, please pray and ask God to guide every step of your life. Pray without ceasing. Pray and fast. Pray in the morning. Pray in the evening. Pray at noon. Pray when life is good. Pray when life is bad. Pray when you feel motivated. Pray when the motivation wanes. Pray independently. Pray with others. Pray for yourself. Pray for others. Pray when you know the situation. Pray when you don’t know the situation. Pray before you go out. Pray when you get home. Pray when you feel lonely. Pray when surrounded by others. Pray when you feel strong. Pray when you feel weak. Pray, Sweet Friend, but remember that God does answer prayers so…. Be careful what you pray for.

Be blessed.